^, 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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1.1 


!£f  l£o    12.0 


1^  ^  IJ^ 


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V 


Sciences 
Carporatioii 


23  WIST  MAIN  STRUT 

WnSTIR,N.Y.  14SM 

(71*)t72-4S03 


^  *^% 


4^ 


^ 


CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/iCIVIH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notm  tochniquas  at  bibliographiquaa 


Tha 
totr 


Tha  inatituta  haa  attamptad  to  obtain  tha  baat 
original  copy  avaiiabia  for  filming.  Faaturaa  of  thia 
copy  which  may  ba  bibliographicaily  uniqua, 
which  may  altar  any  of  tha  imagaa  in  tha 
raproduction,  or  which  may  aignificantly  changa 
tha  uaual  mathod  of  filming,  ara  chackad  balow. 


D 


D 


D 
D 


D 


Colourad  covara/ 
Couvartura  da  coulaur 


I     I   Covars  damagad/ 


Couvartura  andommagte 

Covara  raatorad  and/or  laminatad/ 
Couvartura  raataurte  at/ou  palliculAe 


I     I   Covar  titia  miaaing/ 


La  titra  da  couvartura  manqua 

Colourad  mapa/ 

Cartaa  gtographiquaa  an  coulaur 

Colourad  ink  (i.a.  othar  than  blua  or  black)/ 
Encra  da  coulaur  (i.a.  autra  qua  blaua  ou  noira) 

Colourad  plataa  and/or  illuatrationa/ 
Planchaa  at/ou  illuatrationa  an  coulaur 


D 


Bound  with  othar  material/ 
RaliA  avac  d'autraa  documanta 

Tight  binding  may  cauaa  ahadowa  or  diatortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

La  re  liure  aarrie  peat  cauaar  da  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
diatortion  la  long  d«  la  marge  IntArieure 

Blank  leavea  added  during  reatoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  poaaible,  theae 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
11  ae  peut  que  certainea  pagea  blanchea  aJoutAea 
lore  d'une  reatauration  apparaiaaant  dana  la  texte, 
mala,  ioraqua  cela  Atait  poaaible,  cea  pagea  n'ont 
paa  M  filmtea. 

Additional  commenta:/ 
Commentairea  aupplAmantairaa: 


L'Inatitut  a  microfilm^  le  meilleur  exemplaire 
qu'il  lui  a  AtA  poaaible  de  ae  procurer.  Lea  dAtaiia 
de  cet  exemplaire  qui  aont  peut-Atre  uniquea  du 
point  de  vue  bibliographlque,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dana  la  mMhode  normale  de  f iimage 
aont  indiqute  ci-deaaoua. 


I — I  Coloured  pagea/ 


D 


Pages  de  couleur 

Pagea  damaged/ 
Pagea  endommegtea 

Pagea  raatorad  and/oi 

Pagea  reataurtea  at/ou  pellicuMea 

Pagea  diacoiourad,  atained  or  foxai 
Pagea  dteolortea,  tachat^ea  ou  piqutea 

Pagea  detached/ 
Pagea  d^tachtea 

Showthroughy 
Tranaparence 

Quality  of  prir 

Quality  InAgala  de  I'impreaaion 

Includea  supplementary  materii 
Comprend  du  matAriel  auppMmentaire 

Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Mition  diaponible 


I — I  Pagea  damaged/ 

I — I  Pagea  raatorad  and/or  laminated/ 

rri  Pagea  diacoiourad,  atained  or  foxed/ 

I      I  Pagea  detached/ 

r~T|  Showthrough/ 

I     I  Quality  of  print  variea/ 

I     I  Includea  supplementary  material/ 

I — I  Only  edition  available/ 


The 
poaa 
ofti 
filml 


Orig 

bagi 

the 

sion 

othe 

first 

sion 

or  ill 


The 
shal 
TINI 
whk 

Map 
diffc 
antii 
begi 
right 
requ 
metl 


Pagea  wholly  or  partially  obacured  by  errata 
aiipa,  tiaauea,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  imsge/ 
Les  pagea  totalement  ou  partiellement 
obacurciea  par  un  feuillet  d'errata,  une  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  4t*  filmtea  A  nouveau  de  fapon  A 
obtanir  la  meilleure  image  poaaible. 


Thia  item  la  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  eat  flimA  au  taux  de  reduction  indiquA  ci-deaaoua. 

10X  14X  18X  22X 


2BX 


»X 


>/ 


12X 


16X 


aox 


a4x 


28X 


32X 


aire 
t  details 

iua«  du 
t  modifiar 
Igar  una 
I  f  ilmaga 


Tha  copy  filmad  hara  has  baan  raproducad  thanks 
to  tha  ganarosity  of: 

National  Library  of  Canada 


Tha  imagas  appaaring  hara  ara  tha  bast  quaiity 
possibia  considaring  tha  condition  and  lagibility 
of  tha  original  copy  and  in  Icaaping  with  tha 
filming  contract  spacif ications. 


L'axamplaira  fiimA  fut  raproduit  grAca  A  la 
gAnArositA  da: 

BibliothAqua  nationala  du  Canada 


Las  imagas  suivantas  ont  At4  raproduitas  avec  la 
plus  grand  soin,  compta  tanu  da  la  condition  at 
da  la  nattatA  da  l'axamplaira  filmA,  at  an 
conformity  avac  las  conditions  du  contrat  da 
filmaga. 


/ 
jtes 


Original  copias  In  printad  papar  covars  ara  filmad 
baginning  with  tha  front  covar  and  anding  on 
tha  last  paga  with  a  printad  or  iilustratad  Impras- 
sion,  or  tha  back  covar  whan  approprlata.  All 
othar  original  copias  ara  filmad  baginning  on  tha 
first  paga  with  a  printad  or  iilustratad  impras- 
sion,  and  anding  on  tha  last  paga  with  a  printad 
or  Iilustratad  imprassion. 


Las  axamplalras  originaux  dont  la  couvartura  an 
papiar  ast  ImprimAa  sont  f  ilmte  an  commanpant 
par  la  pramiar  plat  at  en  tarminant  soit  par  la 
darniAra  paga  qui  comporta  una  amprainta 
d'imprasslon  ou  d'lllustration,  soit  par  la  second 
plat,  salon  la  cas.  Tous  las  autras  axemplaires 
originaux  sont  fiimAs  an  commandant  par  la 
pramlAre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'iiiustration  at  an  tarminant  par 
la  darnlAre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  ^^^  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 


Un  des  symboles  sulvants  apparaftra  sur  la 
darnlAre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  seion  le 
cas:  le  symbols  ^^  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  le 
symbols  V  signifie  "FIN". 


ire 


IMaps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  In  one  exposure  ara  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  Atre 
filmAs  A  des  taux  de  rAduction  diff Arents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  Atre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  clichA,  11  est  f  limA  A  partir 
de  Tangle  supArieur  gauche,  de  gauche  A  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  has,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'imagas  nAcessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrant  la  mAthode. 


>y  errata 
ad  to 

mt 

me  pelure, 

iQon  A 


1 

2 

3 

32X 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

AWFUL  DISCLOSURES, 


BT 


MA-HI^   MONK, 


OF  THB 


HOTEL  DIEU   NUNNERY  OF  MONTREAL. 


CONTAINIHa,  AI£0, 


MANY  INCIDENTS  NEVER  BEFORE  PUBLISHED. 


■♦►■ 


NEW    YORK: 
DE  WITT   &   DAVENPORT,  PUBLISHERS, 


160  A  162  NASSAU  STREET. 


Entkukd  neeoriliDg  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  j'cnr  ln55,  by 

DE    WITT   &    DAVENPORT. 

In  tlio  Clerk's  Offlca  of  the  U.  S.  District  Court,  for  tho  Southern  District  of  New  York. 


H.   TINKOK,  STBKBOTYl-BR.  (iCOnOE  B(J38ELL,  PRINTER.  G.    W.   ALEXANDER,  BINDBB. 


PREFACE  TO  THE  FIRST  EDITION- 


This  volume  embraces  not  only  my  "  Awful  Disclosures/' 
but  a  continuation  of  my  Narrative,  giving  an  account  of 
events  after  my  escape  from  the  Nunnery,  and  of  my  return 
to  Montreal  to  procure  a  legal  investigation  of  my  charges. 
It  also  furnishes  all  the  testimony  that  has  been  published 
against  me,  of  every  description,  as  well  as  that  which  has 
been  given  in  confirmation  of  my  story.  At  the  close,  will 
be  ifound  a  Review  of  the  whole  Subject,  furnished  by  a  gVB0" 
tleman  well  qualified  for  the  purpose  ;  and  finally,  a  copious 
Appendix,  giving  further  particulars  interesting  to  th© 
public. 

I  present  this  volume  to  the  reader,  with  feelings  which, 
I  trust,  will  be  in  some  degree  appreciated  when  it  has  been 
read  and  reflected  upon.  A  hasty  perusal,  and  an  imper- 
fect apprehension  of  its  contents,  can  never  produce  such 
impressions  as  it  has  been  my  design  to  make  by  the  state- 
ments I  have  laid  before  the  world.  I  know  that  misap- 
prehensions exist  in  the  minds  of  some  virtuous  people.  I 
am  not  disposed  to  condemn  their  motives,  for  it  does  not 
seem  wonderful  that  in  a  pure  state  of  society,  and  in  the 
midst  of  Christian  families,  there  should  be  persons  who 
regard  the  crimes  I  have  mentioned  as  too  monstrous  to  \fe 


\ 


^ 


VI 


PREFACE     TO     THE     FIRST     EDITION 


' 


belicvod.  It  certainly  is  creditable  to  American  manners 
and  character,  that  the  people  are  inclined,  at  the  first 
sight,  to  turn  from  my  story  with  horror. 

There  is  also  an  excuse  for  those  who,  having  received 
only  a  general  impression  concerning  the  nature  of  my 
Disclosures,  question-  the  propriety  of  publishing  such  im- 
morality to  the  world.  They  fear  that  the  minds  of  the 
young,  at  least,  may  be  polluted.  To  such  I  have  to  say, 
that  this  objection  was  examined  and  set  aside,  long  before 
they  had  an  opportunity  to  make  it.  I  solemnly  believe  it 
is  necessary  to  inform  parents,  at  least,  that  the  ruin  from 
which  I  have  barely  escaped,  lies  in  the  way  of  their  child- 
ren, even  if  delicacy  must  be  in  some  degree  wounded  by 
revealing  the  fact.  I  understand  the  case,  alas !  from  too 
bitter  experience.  Many  an  innocent  girl  may  this  year 
be  exposed  to  the  dangers  of  which  I  was  ignorant.  I  am 
resolved,  that  so  far  as  depends  on  me,  not  one  more  victim 
shall  fall  into  the  hands  of  those  enemies  in  whose  power  I 
so  lately  have  been.  I  know  what  it  is  to  be  under  the 
dominion  of  Nuns  and  Priests  ;  and  I  maintain,  that  it  is  a 
far  greater  offence  against  virtue  and  decency  to  conceal 
than  to  proclaim  their  crimes.  Ah  I  had  a  single  warning 
voice  even  whispered  to  me  a  word  of  caution — had  even  a 
gentle  note  of  alarm  been  sounded  to  me,  it  might  have 
turned  back  my  foot  from  the  Convent  when  it  was  upon 
the  threshold  I  If,  therefore,  there  is  any  one  now  bending 
a  step  that  way,  whom  I  have  not  yet  alarmed,  I  will  cry 
beware ! 

But  the  virtuous  reader  need  not  fear,  in  the  following 
pages,  to  meet  with  vice  presented  in  any  dress  but  her  own 
deformity.  No  one  can  accuse  me^of  giving  a  single 
attraction  to  crime.  On  the  contrary,  I  intend  my  book 
shall  be  a  warning  to  those  who  may  hereafter  be  tempted 
by  vice  j  and  with  the  confidence  that  such  it  will  prove  to 


PRETACE    TO    THE     FIRST     EDITION. 


Vll 


be,  I  commend  it  to  the  careful  examination  of  yirtuous 
parents,. and  am  willing  to  abide  by  their  unbiased  opinion, 
with  regard  both  to  my  truth,  my  motives,  and  the 
interest  which  the  public  have  ia  the  developments  it 
contains,  «• 

I  would  now  appeal  to  the  world,  and  ask,  whether  I 
have  not  done  all  that  could  have  been  expected  of  me,  and 
all  that  lay  in  my  power,  to  bring  to  an  investigation  the 
charges  I  have  brought  against  the  priests  and  nuns  of 
Canada.  Although  it  was  necessary  to  the  cause  of  truth, 
that  I  should,  in  some  degree,  implicate  myself,  I  have  not 
hesitated  to  appear  as  a  voluntary  self-accuser  before  the 
world.  Wliile  there  was  a  hope  that  the  authorities  in 
Canada  might  be  prevailed  upon  to  bring  the  subject  to  a 
legal  investigation,  I  travelled  to  Montreal  in  a  feeble  state 
of  health,  and  with  an  infant  in  my  arms  only  three  weeks 
old.  In  the  face  of  many  threats  and  dangers,  I  spent 
nearly  a  month  in  that  city,  in  vain  attempts  to  bring  my 
cause  to  a  trial.  When  all  prospect  of  success  in  this 
undertaking  had  disappeared,  and  not  till  then,  I  deter- 
mined to  make  my  accusations  through  the  press  ;  and 
although  misrepresentations  and  scandals,  flattery  and 
threats,  have  been  resorted  to,  to  nullify  or  to  suppress  my 
testimony,  I  have  persevered,  although,  as  many  of  my 
friends  hSve  thought,  at  the  risk  of  ibduction  or  death. 

I  have,  I  think,  afforded  every  opportunity  that  could  be 
reasonably  expected,  to  judge  of  my  credibility.  I  have 
appealed  to  the  existence  of  things  in  the  Hotel  Dieu  Nun- 
nery, as  the  great  criterion  of  the  truth  of  my  story.  I 
have  described  the  apartments,  and  now,  in  this  volume, 
have  added  many  further  particulars,  with  such  a  descrip- 
tion of  them  as  my  memory  has  enabled  me  to  make.  I 
have  offered,  in  case  I  should  be  proved  an  impostor,  to  sub- 
mit to  any  punishment  which  may  be  proposed— even  to  a 


i 


I 


iS&-  : 


•  •• 

Vlll 


l^REFACE    TO     THE     FIRST     EDITION. 


re-dclivcry  into  the  hands  of  my  bitterest  enemies,  to  safifer 
what  they  may  please  to  inflict. 

Now,  in  these  circumstances,  I  would  ask  the  people  of 
the  United  States,  whether  my  duty  has  not  been  dis- 
jpharged  ?  Have  I  not  done  what  I  ought — to  inform  and 
to  alarm  them  ?  I  would  also  solemnly  appeal  to  the 
Government  of  Great  Britain,  under  whose  guardianship  is 
the  province  oppressed  by  the  gloomy  institution  from  which 
I  have  escaped,  and  ask  whether  such  atrocities  ought  to 
be  tolerated,  and  even  protected  by  an  enlightened  and 
Christian  power  ?  I  trust  the  hour  is  near,  when  the  dens 
of  the  Hotel  Dieu  will  be  laid  open — when  the  tyrants  who 
have  polluted  it  will  be  brought  out,  with  the  wretched 
victims  of  their  oppression  and  crimes. 


»■'-  -  ^- 


CONTENTS 


•4th 


CHAPTER   I. 

Early  Life— Religious  Education  neglected— First  Schoola— Entrance  into  the  School 
of  the  Congregational  Nunnery — Brief  Account  of  the  Nunneries  in  Montreal— 
The  Congregational  Nunnery— The  Black  Nunnery— The  Grey  Nunnery— Publio 
Respect  for  these  Institutions  —  Instruction  Received— The  Catechism  —  The 
Bible 13 

CHAPTER  II. 

Story  told  by  a  fellow  Pupil  against  a  Priest— Other  Stories— Pretty  Mary— Confess 
to  Father  Richards — My  subsequent  Confessions — Left  the  Congregational  Nun- 
nery     18 

CHAPTER   III. 

Preparations  to  become  a  Novice  in  the  Biacic  Nunnery— Entrance— Occupations  of 
tlie  Novices — ^The  Apartments  to  which  they  had  Access — First  Interview  with 
Jane  Ray— Reverence  for  the  Superior— Her  Reliques— The  Holy  Good  Shepherd, 
or  nameless  Nun — Confession  of  Novices         •■••«..     21 

CHAPTER    IV. 

Displeased  with  the  Convent— Left  it— Residence  at  St.  Denis— Reliquea— Marriage 
—Return  to  the  Black  Nunnery— Objections  made  by  some  Novices— Ideas  of  the 
Bible *28 

CHAPTER   V. 

Received  Confirmation— Painful  Feelings— Specim«n  of  Instruction  received  en  the 
Subject 88 

CHAPTER    VI. 

Taking  the  Veil— Interview  afterward  with  the  Superior— Surprise  and  horror  at  her 

Disdosares— Resolution  to  Submit 85 

1* 


CONTENTb. 


CHAPTER    VII. 

Dally  Oeremontes— Jano  Ray  among  tho  Nuns 

CHAPTER   VIII. 


49 


Description  of  Apartments  In  tho  Black  Nunnery,  In  order.— Ist  Floor— 2(1  Floor— 
The  Founder — Superior's  Management  with  the  Friends  of  Novices— Religious  Liei 
— Criminulity  of  concealing  Sius  ut  Confessioa 4S 

CHAPTER   IX. 

Nuns  with  similar  names — Squanr  Nuns— First  visit  to  the  Cellar — Description  of  It 
—Shocking  discovery  there— Superior's  Instructions— Private  Signal  of  the 
Priests — Dooks  used  In  the  Nunnery — Opinions  expressed  of  the  Bible— Specimens 
of  what  I  knoir  of  the  Scriptures 59 

CHAPTER   X. 

Manufacture  of  Bread  and  Wax  Candles  carried  on  in  the  Convent— Superstitions 
— Scapularles — Virgin  Mary's  pincushion— Her  House— The  Bishop's  power  over 
fire— My  Instructions  to  Novices— Jane  Ray— Yacclllatioa  of  feelings    .       .     65 

CHAPTER   XI. 

Alarming  Order  from  the  Superior — Proceed  to  execute  it— Scene  in  an  upper 
Boom— Sentence  of  Death,  and  Murder— My  own  distress— Reports  made  to  friends 
of  St.  Francis 72 

CHAPTER   XII. 

Description  of  the  Room  of  the  Three  States,  and  the  pictures  in  it— Jane  Ray  ridi* 
culing  Priests— Their  criminal  Treatment  of  us  at  Confession— Jane  Ray's  Tricks 
with  the  Nuns'  Aprons,  Handkerchiefs,  and  Nightgowns— Apples         .       .     78 

CHAPTER   XIII. 

Jane  Ray's  Tricks  continued — The  Broomstick  Ohost-Sleep-walking— Salted  Cider 
— Changing  Beds — Objects  of  some  of  her  Tricks — Feigned  Humility — Alarm — 
Treatment  of  a  new  Nun — A  nun  made  by  stratagem 84 

•  CHAPTER   XV. 

Influencing  Novices— Difficulty  of  convincing  persons  from  the  United  States — 
Tale  of  the  Bishop  in  the  City— The  Bishop  in  the  Convent— The  Prisoners  In  the 
Cells— Practice  in  Singing — Narratives— Jane  Ray's  Hymns— The  Superior's  best 
Trick 9S 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Frequency  of  the  Priests'  Visits  to  the  Nunnery— Their  Freedom  and  Crimes— Diffi- 
culty of  learning  their  Names— Their  Holy  Retreat— Objections  in  oar  minds- 
Means  used  to  counteract  Conscience— Ingenious  Arguments       ...    106 


^« 


,** 


.CONTENTR.  » 

C  U  A  I' T  K  II    X  V  I  I  . 

Treatment  of  young  Infant*  In  the  Coiivmu  -Talltiiix  In  Sluep— Amusement!— 
Ceremoniei  at  the  public  interment  uf  decuaicd  Nuiih— Su  Ideu  dlsiippcarance  of 
the  Old  Superior— Introduction  of  the  nowr  one— Supiirstiiloii— Alarm  of  a  Nun— 
DiiBculty  of  Oommuuication  with  other  Nuns Ill 

CHAPTER   XVIII. 

Disappearance  of  Nuns — St.  Pierre— Oage— My  temporary  Confinement  In  a  Cell 
— The  Cholera  Season — How  to  avoid  it — Ocuupationii  in  the  Convent  durin;;  the 
PeHtilence— Manufacture  of  Wax  Candles — The  Election  Riots— Alarm  among 
the  Nuns- Preparations  for  defence — Peaancea 117 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

The  Priests  of  the  District  of  Montreal  have  free  access  to  the  Black  Nunnery- 
Crimes  committed  and  required  by  them— The  Pope's  command  to  comm't  inde- 
cent Crimes— Characters  of  the  Old  and  New  Superiors— The  timidity  of  the 
latter— I  began  to  be  employed  in  the  Hospitals— Some  account  of  them— Warning 
given  me  by  a  sick  Nun— Penance  by  Hanging 12S 


if 

h 


CHAPTER   XX. 

More  visits  to  the  imprisoned  Nuns— Their  fears — Others  temporarily  put  into  the 
Cells- Reliquea— The  Agnus  Dei— The  Priests'  private  Hospital,  or  Holy  Retreat- 
Secret  Rooms  in  the  Eastern  Wing — Reports  of  Murders  in  the  Convent — The 
Superior's  private  Records — Number  of  Nuns  in  the  Convent — Desire  of  Eioape— 
Urgent  reason  for  it— Plan- Delljeratioo — Attempt— Success        .       •       .    184 

CHAPTER   XXI. 

At  liberty— Doubtful  what  to  do — Found  refuge  for  the  night— Disappointment— 
My  first  day  out  of  the  Convent— Solitude — Recollections,  fears,  and  plans  .    143 


CHAPTER   XXII. 

Start  ft»r  Quebec— Recognised— Disappointed  again— Not  permitted  to  land- 
Return  to  Montreal— Landed  and  passed  through  the  city  before  day — Lachine 
Canal — Intended  close  of  my  life 145 

CHAPTER    XXIII. 

Awake  among  strangers— Dr.  Robertson— Imprisoned  as  a  vagrant— Introduction 
to  my  mother— Stay  in  her  house— Removal  from  it  to  Mrs.  McDonald's — Return 
to  my  mother's— Desire  to  get  to  New-York— Arrangements  for  going    .       .    149 

CHAPTER    XXIV. 

Singular  concurrence  of  circumstances,  which  enabled  me  to  get  to  the  United  States 
—Intentions  in  going  there — Commence  my  journey — Fears  of  my  companion- 
Stop  at  Whitehall— Injury  received  in  a  canal  boat— Arrival  at  New- York— A 
■oUUry  retreat 165 


«l 


zU 


CONTENTS  . 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


Befleotions  and  sorrow  in  solitude — Niglit— Fears— Exposure  to  rain— Discovered  by 
strangers— Their  unwelcome  liindness— Talcen  to  ttie  Bellevni:  Almshouse    .    159 

CHAPTER   XXVI. 

Reception  at  the  Almshouse — Message  from  Mr.  Conroy,  a  Roman  priest  in  New- 
Yorlc — His  invitations  to  a  private  interview— His  claims,  propositions,  and 
threats— Mr.  Kelly's  message— Effects  of  reading  the  Bible    ....    163 

CHAPTER  XXYII. 

Proposition  to  go  to  Montreal  and  testify  against  the  priests — Commencement  of 
my  journey— Stop  at  Troy,  Whitehall,  Burlington,  St.  Alban's,  Plattsburgh,  and 
St.  John's— Arrival  at  Montreal— Reflections  on  passing  the  Nunnery  .       .    169 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

Received  into  a  hospitable  family— Fluctuating  feelings— Visits  from  several  per 
ions— Father  Phelan's  declarrtions  against  me  in  his  church— Interviews  with  a 
Journeyman  Carpenter— Arguments  with  him 17T 

CHAPTER   XXIX. 

A  Milkman—  An  Irishwoman— Difficulty  in  having  my  Affidavit  taken— Legal  ol]||ec> 
tion  to  it  when  taken 181 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

Interview  with  the  Attorney  General  of  the  Province — Attempt  to  abduct  me — More 
interviews — A  mob  excited  against  me— Protected  by  two  soldiers— Convinced  that 
an  investigation  of  my  charges  could  not  be  obtained— Departure  from  Montreal 
—Closing  reflections 184 

The  truth  of  the  work  demonstrated    .       .       . 193 

Amnsiz.— Reception  of  the  work— Affidavits— Criticisms  of  the  press,  &c.    .   229 


PREFACE. 


-#► 


.  I 


Here  is  the  reprint  of  one  of  the  most  formidable  books 
against  Nunneries  ever  publislied.  It  has  produced  power- 
ful impressions  abroad,  as  well  as  in  the  United  States,  and 
appears  destined  to  have  still  greater  results.  It  is  the  sim- 
ple narrative  of  an  uneducated  and  unprotected  female,  who 
escaped  from  the  old  Black  Nunnery  of  Montreal,  or  Hotel 
Dieu,  and  told  her  tale  of  suflferings  and  horrors,  without 
exaggeration  or  embellishment.  Though  assailed  by  all  the 
powers  of  the  Romish  priesthood,  whom  she  accused,  and 
by  the  united  influence  of  the  North  American  press,  which, 
with  very  small  exceptions,  was  then  unenlightened  by  the 
discoveries  of  the  present  day,  the  book  remains  unim- 
peached,  and  still  challenges  the  test  of  fair  and  open  exa- 
mination. 

Many  an  American  female,  no  doubt,  is  now  living,  who 
might  justly  acknowledge  that  she  was  saved  from  exposure 
to  the  suffering,  or  even  the  ruin,  often  the  consequences  of 
a  Convent  education,  by  the  disinterested  warning  given  in 
this  book  ;  while  its  author,  dishearlened  at  length  by  the 


A- 


If 


XIY 


PREFACE. 


H 


powerful  combination  of  Protestants  and  Papists  against 
her,  led  to  distrust  even  the  few  who  remained  her  friends, 
destitute  of  the  means  of  living,  and  alternately  persecuted 
and  tempted  by  her  ever  watchful  and  insidious  enemies, 
died  some  years  since,  under  condemnation  (whether  just  or 
unjust)  for  one  of  the  slightest  of  the  crimes  which  she  had 
charged  against  them — thus  falling  at  last  their  victim. 

American  parents  have  here  a  book  written  for  the  salva- 
tion of  their  daughters  ;  American  patriots,  one  designed 
to  secure  society  against  one  of  the  most  destructive  but 
insidious  institutions  of  popery ;  American  females,  an 
appeal  to  them  of  the  most  solemn  kind,  to  beware  of  Con- 
vents, and  all  who  attempt  to  inveigle  our  unsuspecting 
daughters  into  them,  by  the  secret  apparatus  of  Jesuit 
schools.  The  author  of  this  book  was  a  small,  slender,  un- 
educated, and  persecuted  young  woman,  who  sought  refuge 
in  our  country  without  a  protector ;  but  she  showed  the 
resolution  and  boldness  of  a  heroine,  in  confronting  her  pow- 
erful enemies  in  their  strong  hold,  and  proved,  by  the  sim- 
ple force  of  truth,  victorious  in  the  violent  conflicts  which 
were  waged  against  her  by  the  Romish  hierarchy  of  Ame- 
rica and  the  popular  press  of  the  United  States. 

The  publishers  have  thought  the  present  an  opportune 
period  to  place  this  work  again  in  the  hands  of  American 
readers,  with  such  information,  in 'a  preface,  as  is  necessary 
to  acquaint  readers  of  the  present  day  with  the  leading  cir- 
cumstances attending  and  succeeding  its  original  publica- 
tion. They  have  examined  most  of  the  evidence  supporting 
the  truth  of  the  narrative,  of  which  the  public  can  judge  as 


e 


PREFACE. 


XV 


well  as  themselves.  The  details  would  bo  voluminous,  even 
of  those  portions  which  have  been  collected  since  the  heat 
of  the  controversy  which  the  book  long  ago  excited.  Suf- 
fice it  to  say,  that  undesigned  and  collateral  evidence  iu 
corroboration  of  it  has  been  increasing  to  the  present  day  ; 
and  that  the  following  brief  review  of  some  of  the  early 
events  will  afford  a  fair  specimen  of  the  whole. 

In  the  year  1835,  Maria  Monk  was  found  alone,  and 
in  a  wretched  and  feeble  condition,  on  the  outskirts  of 
New  York  city,  by  a  humane  man,  who  got  her  admitted 
into  the  hospital  at  Bellevue.  She  then  first  told  the  story 
in  outline,  which  she  afterwards  and  uniformly  repeated  in 
detail,  and  which  was  carefully  written  down  and  published 
in  the  following  form  : — she  said  she  was  a  fugitive  nun 
from  the  Hotel  Dieu  of  Montreal,  whence  she  had  effected 
her  escape,  in  consequence  of  cruelty  which  she  had 
suffered,  aad  crimes  which  were  there  committed  by  the 
Romish  priests,  who  had  the  control  of  the  institution,  and 
to  which  they  had  access,  by  private  as  well  as  public 
entrances.  Having  expressed  a  willingness  to  go  to  that 
city,  make  public  accusations,  and  point  out  evidences  of 
their  truth  in  the  convent  itself,  she  was  taken  thither  by  a 
resolute  man,  who  afterwards  suffered  for  an  act  of  great 
merit ;  but  she  was  unable  to  obtain  a  fair  hearing,  appa- 
rently through  the  secret  ■  opposition  of  the  priests.  She 
returned  to  New  York,  where  her  story  was  thought 
worthy  of  publication  ;  and  it  was  proposed  to  have  it 
carefully  written  down  from  her  lips,  and  published  in  a 
small  pamphlet.    Everything  she  communicated  was,  there- 


ii 


i 


i ' 


XVI 


PREFACE. 


fore,  accurately  written  down,  and,  when  copied  out,  read 
to  her  for  correction.  But  the  amount  of  important  mate- 
rial in  her  possession,  proved  to  be  far  greater  than  had 
been  supposed,  and  many  pages  of  notes  were  accumulated 
on  numerous  topics  brought  up  to  her  attention  in  the 
course  of  conversation  and  inquiry.  All  those  were  sub- 
mitted to  persons  fully  competent  to  decide  as  to  the 
reliability  of  the  evidence,  and  the  strictest  and  most  con- 
scientious care  was  taken  to  ascertain  the  truth. 

There  were  but  very  few  Protestants  in  the  United  States 
acquainted  with  the  condition  or  history  of  convents  in 
diflferent  countries,  the  characters  of  those  who  control  and 
direct  them,  the  motives  they  have  for  keeping  them  secret, 
the  occupations  often  pursued  within  their  walls,  in  short, 
the  shameful  practices  and  atrocious  crimes  of  which  they 
have  been  proved  to  be  the  theatres,  in  modern  and  ancient 
times,  by  Romish  ecclesiastics  and  even  popes  themselves. 
The  public  were,  therefore,  quite  unprepared  to  believe 
such  accusations  against  men  professing  sanctity  of  life,  and 
a  divine  commission  to  the  world,  although  Miss  Harrison 
and  Miss  Reed  of  Boston  had  published  startling  reports 
respecting  the  character  of  the  priests  and  nuns  in  that 
vicinity.  • 

The  following  were  some  of  the  considerations  which 
were  kept  in  view  by  those  who  proposed  the  publication  of 
the  narrative  : — 

"  If  the  story  is  false,  it  must  have  been  forged  by  the 
narrator  or  some  other  party.  There  must  have  been  a 
motive  in  either  case  ;  and  that  may  be  either  to  obtain 


PREFACE. 


XVll 


7  the 
en  a 
)taia     \^ 


notoriety  or  money,  to  injure  the  reputation  of  the  priests 
accused,  or  ultimately  to  remove  the  unfavorable  impres- 
sions thrown  upon  ihem  by  their  former  accusers,  by  first 
making  charges  of  atrocious  crimes,  and  then  disproving 
them.  On  the  other  hand,  the  story  may  perhaps  be  true  ; 
and  if  so,  the  world  ought  to  know  it.  In  the  meantime, 
here  is  an  unprotected,  and  evidently  unfortunate  young 
woman,  of  an  interesting  appearance,  who  asks  to  be 
allowed  to  make  her  complaint,  voluntarily  consenting  to 
submit  to  punishment  if  she  does  not  speak  the  truth. 
She  must  be  allowed  a  hearing." 

It  is  but  justice  to  say  that  the  investigation  was  under- 
taken with  strong  suspicions  of  imposture  somewhere,  and 
with  a  fixed  resolution  to  expose  it  if  discovered.  As  the 
investigation  proceeded,  opinions  at  first  fluctuated,  some- 
times from  day  to  day  ;  but  it  became  evident,  ere  long, 
that  if  the  story  had  been  fabricated,  it  was  not  the  work 
of  the  narrator,  as  she  had  not  the  capacity  to  invent  one 
so  complex  and  consistent  with  itself  and  with  many  histo- 
rical facts  entirely  beyond  the  limited  scope  of  her  know- 
ledge. It  was  also  soon  perceived  that  she  could  never 
have  been  taught  it  by  others,  as  no  part  of  it  was  systema- 
tically arranged  in  her  mind,  and  she  communicated  it  in 
the  incidental  manner  common  to  uneducated  persons,  who 
recount  past  "scenes  in  successive  conversations. 

As  she  declared  from  the  first  that  she  had  been  trained 
to  habits  of  deception  in  the  Convent,  and  accustomed  to 
witness  deceit  and  criminality,  no  confidence  could  be 
claimed  for  her  mere  unsupported  declarations  ;  and  there- 


\\W 


xvm 


PREFACE. 


fore  a  course  of  thorough  cross-questioning  was  pursued, 
every  effort  being  made  to  lead  her  to  contradict  herself, 
but  without  success.  She  told  the  same  things  over  and 
over  again  in  a  natural  and  consistent  manner,  when 
brought  back  to  the  same  point  after  intervals  of  weeks  or 
months.  In  several  instances  it  was  thought  that  contra- 
dictions had  been  traced,  but  when  called  on  to  reconcile 
her  statements,  she  cleared  up  all  doubt  by  easy  and  satis- 
factory explanations. 

The  course  pursued  by  the  priests  of  Canada  and  their 
advocates,  was  such  as  greatly  to  confirm  the  opinion  that 
she  spoke  the  truth,  and  that  they  were  exceedingly  afraid 
of  it.  The  following  were  some  of  the  contradictory  grounds 
which  they  at  different  times  assumed  in  their  bitter  attacks 
upon  her,  her  friends,  and  her  books  : 

That  she  had  never  been  in  the  nunnery. 

That  she  had  been  expelled  from  it. 

That  she  had  fabricated  everything  that  she  published. 

That  several  pages  from  her  book,  published  in  the  New 
York  "  Sun,"  were  copied  verbatim  et  literatim  from  a 
work  published  in  Portugal  above  a  hundred  years  before, 
entitled  "  The  Gates  of  Hell  Opened." 

That  there  never  was  a  Subterranean  passage  from  the 
seminary  to  the  nunnery. 

« 

That  there  was  such  a  passage  in  that  direction,  but  that 
it  led  to  the  River  St.  Lawrence. 

That  the  drawings  and  descriptions  of  the  nunnery,  and 
especially  of  the  veiled  department,  were  wholly  unlike  the 
reality,  but  applied  to  the  Magdalen  Asylum  of  Montreal. 


PREFAC  E. 


xix 


That  several  objects  described  by  her  were  in  the  nun- 
nery, but  not  in  those  parts  of  it  where  she  had  placed 
thera.  (This  was  said  by  a  person  who  admitted  that  he 
had  been  lost  amidst  the  numerous  and  extensive  appart- 
ments  when  he  made  his  observations.) 

That  the  book  was  fabricated  by  certain  persons  in 
New  York  who  were  named,  they  being  gentlemen  of  the 
highest  character. 

That  the  book  was  her  own  production,  but  written  under 
the  instigation  of  the  devil. 

That  the  author  was  a  layman,  and  ougkt  to  be  hung  on 
the  first  lamp-post. 

That  the  nunnery  was  a  sacred  place,  and  ought  not  to 
be  profaned  by  the  admission  of  enemies  of  the  church. 

After  a  committee  had  been  appointed  to  examine  the 
nunnery  and  report,  and  their  demand  for  admission  had 
been  published  a  year  or  more,  the  editor  of  I! Ami  dw  Pcu- 
ple,  a  Montreal  newspaper,  devoted  to  the  priests'  cause, 
offered  to  admit  persons  informally,  and  did  admit  several 
Americans,  who  had  been  strong  partisans  against  the 
"  Disclosures."  Their  letters  on  the  subject,  though  very 
indefinite,  contained  several  important,  though  undesigned 
admissions,  strongly  corroborating  the  book. 

One  of  the  most  common  charges  against  the  book  was, 
that  it  had  be/en  written  merely  for  the  purpose  of  obtain- 
ing money.  Of  the  falseness  of  this  there  is  decisive  evi- 
dence. It  was  intended  to  secure  to  the  poor  and  perse- 
cuted young  female,  any  profits  which  might  arise  from  the 
publication  ;  bat  most  of  the  labor  and  time  devoted  to  the 


XX 


PREFi  C  E. 


work  were  gratuitously  bestowed.  Besides  this  tliey  de- 
voted much  time  to  efforts  necessary  to  guard  against  the 
numerous  and  insidious  attempts  made  by  friends  of  the 
priests,  who  by  various  arts  endeavored  to  produce  dissen- 
tion  and  delay,  as  well  as  to  pervert  public  opinion. 

The  book  was  published,  and  had  an  almost  unprece- 
dented sale,  impressing  deep  convictions,  wherever  it  went, 
by  its  simple  and  consistent  statements.  In  Canada,  espe- 
cially, it  was  extensively  received  as  true  ;  but  as  the 
American  newspapers  were  soon  enlisted  against  it,  the 
country  was  tilled  with  misrepresentations,  which  it  was 
impossible  through  those  channels  to  follow  with  refutations. 
Her  noble  sacrifices  for  the  good  of  others  were  misunder- 
stood, she  withdrew  from  her  few  remaining  friends,  and  at 
length  died  in  poverty  and  prison,  a  victim  of  the  priests  of 
Rome.  Various  evidences  in  favor  of  its  truth  afterwards 
appeared,  with  which  the  public  have  never  been  generally 
made  acquainted.  Some  of  these  were  afforded  during  an 
interview  held  in  New  York,  August  17th,  1836,  with 
Messrs.  Jones  and  Le  Clerc,  who  had  c©me  from  Montreal 
with  a  work  in  reply  to  "  Awful  Disclosures,"  which  was 
afterwards  published.  They  had  offered  to  confront  Maria 
Monk,  and  prove  her  an  impostor,  and  make  her  confess  it 
in  the  presence  of  her  friends.  She  promptly  appeared ; 
and  the  first  exclamation  of  Mr.  Jones  proved  that  she  was 
not  the  person  he  had  supposed  her  to  be  :  "  This  is  not 
Fanny  Johnson .'"  said  he  ;  and  he  afterwards  said,  "  There 
must  be  two  Maria  Monks  1"  Indeed,  several  persons  were 
at  different  times  represented  to  bear  that  name  ;  and  much 


i^K^'' 


PREFACE. 


xxi 


confasion  was  caused  in  the  testimony  by  that  artifice.  The 
interview  continued  about  two  hours,  during  which  tho 
Canadians  made  a  very  sorry  ligure,  entirely  failing  to  gain 
any  advantage,  and  exposing  their  own  weakness.  At  tho 
close,  an  Episcopal  clergyman  from  Canada,  one  of  tho 
company,  said  :  "  Miss  Monk,  if  I  had  had  any  doubts  of 
your  truth  before  this  interview,  they  would  now  have  been 
entirely  removed." 

The  book  of  Mr.  Jones  was  published,  and  consisted  of 
affidavits,  &c.,  obtained  in  Canada,  including  those  which 
had  previously  been  published,  and  which  are  contained  in 
the  Appendix  to  this  volume.  Many  of  them  were  signed 
by  names  unknown,  or  those  of  low  persons  of  no  credit,  or 
devoted  to  the  service  of  the  priests.  Evidence  was  after- 
wards obtained  that  Mr.  Jones  was  paid  by  the  Canadian 
ecclesiastics,  of  which  there  had  been  strong  indications. 
What  rendered  bis  defeat  highly  important  was,  that  he 
was  tho  editor  of  UAmi  du  Peuple,  the  priests'  newspa- 
per, in  Montreal,  and  he  was  "  the  author  of  everything 
which  had  been  written  there  against  Maria  Monk,"  and 
kad  collected  all  "the  affidavits  and  testimony."  These 
were  his  own  declarations.  An  accurate  report  of  the  inter- 
view was  published,  and  had  its  proper  effect,  especially  his 
exclamation — "  This  is  not  Fanny  Johnson  1" 

The  exciting  controversy  has  long  passed,  but  the  authen- 
tic records  of  it  are  imperishable,  and  will  ever  be  regarded 
as  an  instructive  study.  The  corruptions  and  crimes  of 
nunneries,  and  the  hypocrisy  and  chicanery  6f  those  who 
control  them,  with  the  varied  and  powerful  means  at  their 


!    I 


II     , 


n 


ii-iJ  ! 


xxu 


PREFACE. 


command,  arc  there  displayed  to  an  attentive  reader,  in 
p  colors  as  dark  and  appalling  as  other  features  of  the  popish 
system  are  among  us,  by  the  recent  exposures  of  the  impu- 
dent arrogance  of  the  murderer  Bedini,  and  the  ambitious 
and  miserly  spirit  of  his  particular  friend,  the  Romish 
Archbishop  of  New  York. 

Among  the  recent  corroborations  of  the  "  Awful  Disclo- 
sures," may  be  particularly  mentioned  the  two  narratives 
entitled  "  Coralla,"  and  "  Confessions  of  a  Sister  of  Char- 
ity," contained  in  the  work  issued  this  season  by  the  pub- 
lishers of  the  present  volume,  viz.  :  "  The  Escaped  Kun  ; 
or.  Disclosures  of  Convent  Life,"  &c.  Of  the  authenticity 
of  those  two  narratives  we  can  give  the  j)ublic  the  strongest 
assurance. 

After  the  city  of  Rome  bad  been  taken  by  siege  by  the 
French  army,  in  1849,  the  priests  claimed  possession  of  a 
female  orphan-asylum,  which  had  something  of  the  nature 
of  a  nunnery.  The  republican  government  had  given  liber- 
ty to  all  recluses,  and  opened  all  secret  institutions.  (When 
will  Americans  do  the  same  ?) 

Subsequently,  when  the  papists  attempted  to  reinstate 
the  old  system,  the  females  remonstrated,  barred  the^ 
doors,  and  armed  themselves  with  knives  and  spits 
from  the  kitchen,  but  the  French  soldiers  succeeded  in  , 
reducing  them  by  force.  During  the  contest  the  cry  of 
the  women  was,  "  We  will  not  be  the  wives  of  the 
priests  !'' 

In  one  of  the  convents  in  that  city,  opened  by  the  repub- 
licans, were  found  evidences  of  some  of  the  worst  crimes 


PREFACE. 


XXlll 


mentioned  by  Maria  Monk  ;  uud  in  another  were  multitudes 
of  bones,  including  those  of  children. 

A  strong  effort  will  probably  be  made  again,  by  the  par- 
tics  exposed  by  this  book,  to  avoid  the  condemnation  which 
it  throws  upon  convents — the  strongholds  of  superstition, 
corruption,  and  foreign  influence,  in  the  United  States.  The 
llomish  publications,  although  greatly  reduced  in  number 
within  a  few  years,  will  probably  pour  out  much  of  their 
unexhausted  virulence,  as  it  is  their  vocation  to  misrepre- 
sent, deny,  and  vilify.  They  will  be  ready  to  pronounce  a 
general  anathema  on  all  who  dare  to  reprint,  or  even  to 
read  or  believe,  such  strong  accusations  against  the  "  holy 
retreats "  of  those  whom  they  pretend  are  "  devoted  to 
lives  of  piety."  But  we  will  challenge  them  to  do  it  again, 
by  placing  some  of  their  iron  bishops  and  even  popes  in  the 
forefront. 

In  the  year  1489,  in  the  reign  of  Henry  YIL,  Pope 
Innocent  VIII.  published  a  bull  for  the  Reformation  of 
Monasteries,  entitled,  in  Latin,  "  De  Reformaiione  Monas- 
eeriorum,^'  in  which  he  says  that,  "  members  of  monasteries 
and  other  religious  places,  both  Clemian,  Cistercian,  and 
Prajmonstratensian,  and  various  other  orders  in  the  King- 
dom of  England  " — "  lead  a  lascivious  and  tffl^  dissolute 
life."  And  that  the  papist  readei^may  recei^this  decla- 
ration with  due  revenpe,  we  copy  the  preceding  words  in 
Latin,  as  written  by  an  infallible  pope,  the  man  whose  wor- 
shippers address  him  as  "  Yicegerent  of  God  on  earth." 
Of  course  his  words  must  convince  them,  if  ours  do  not : 
"  Vitam  lascivam  ducunt,  et  nunium  dissolutam."    "  Swinf 


? 


W 


1  ^ 


Mj,|:,      ! 


|i 

!  I  .  1 1 
I 

I 


II'   t 


XX17 


PREFACE. 


Priory,"  in  1303,  had  a  Prioress  named  Josiana,  whoso  con- 
duct made  the  name  of  her  house  quite  appropriate.  In 
France,  in  the  Council  of  Troyes,  A.  D.  999,  the  Arch- 
bishop said,  "  In  convents  of  monks,  canons,  and  nuns,  wo 
have  lay  abbots  residing  with  their  wives,  sous,  daughters, 
soldiers  and  dogs  ;"  and  ho  charges  the  whole  clergy  with 
being  in  a  depraved  and  sinful  state.  But  the  particulars 
now  before  us,  of  such  shameful  things  in  Germany,  Italy, 
&c.,  for  ages,  would  fill  a  larger  volume  than  this. 

Now,  let  the  defenders  of  nunneries  repeat,  if  they  dare, 
their  hackneyed  denunciations  of  those  who  deny  their  sanc- 
tity. Here  stand  some  of  their  own  bishops  and  popes  be- 
fore us  ;  and  the  anathemas  must  fall  first  upon  mitres  and 
tiaras  I  Americans  will  know  how  much  confidence  to 
place  in  the  pretended  purity  of  institutions,  whose  iniquity 
and  shame  have  been  thus  proclaimed,  age  after  age,  in  a 
far  more  extensive  manner  than  by  this  book.  But  \Ye  can 
at  any  time  shut  their  mouths  by  the  mere  mention  of 
**  Den^s  Theology,"  which  they  must  not  provoke  us  to 
refer  to. 


jr 


'I 


h 


AWFUL  DISCLOSURES. 


•«► 


CHAPTER  I. 


EABLr    BEC0LLE0TI0N8. 


Early  Life— Religious  Education  neglected— First  Schools— Entrance  Into  the  School 
of  the  Congregational  Nunnery — Brief  Account  of  the  Nunneries  in  Montreal— 
The  Congregational  Nunnery — The  Black  Nunnery — The  Grey  Nunnery — Publio 
Respect  for  these  Institutions— lostructiou  Received— The  Catechism- The  Bible. 

M'Z  parents  were  both  from  Scotland,  but  had  been  resident 
in  Lower  Canada  some  time  before  their  marriage,  which  took 
plaee  in  Montreal ;  and  in  that  city  I  spent  most  of  my  life.  I 
was  born  at  St.  John's,  where  they  lived  for  a  short  time.  My 
father  was  an  oflScer  under  the  British  Government,  and  my 
mother  has  enjoyed  a  pension  on  that  account  ever  since  his 
death.* 

According  to  my  earliest  recollections,  he  was  attentive  to  his 
family;  and  a  particular  passage  from  the  Bible,  which  often 
occurred  to  my  mind  in  after  life,  I  may  very  probably  have 
been  taught  by  him,  as  after  his  death  I  do  not  recollect  to  have 
received  any  religious  instruction  at  home ;  and  was  not  even 
brought  up  to  read  the  scriptures :  my  mother,  although  nomi- 
nally a  Protestant,  not  being  accustomed  to  pay  attention  to  her 
children  in  this  respect.  She  was  rather  inclined  to  think  well 
of  the  Catholics,  and  often  attended  their  churches.  To  my 
want  of  religious  instruction  at  home,  and  the  ignorance  of  my 


m 

I 

lifl 


*  See  the  affidavit  of  Tniliam  Miller,  in  the  Appendix. 


1   I 

111 


.» 


3i 


m 


« 


\ 


u 


AWFUL    DISCLOSURES. 


Creator,  and  my  duty,  wliich  was  its  natural  effect,  I  think  I  can 
trace  my  introduction  to  Convents,  and  the  scones  which  I  am 
to  describe  in  this  narrative. 

When  about  six  or  seven  years  of  nge,  I  went  to  school  to  a 
Mr.  Workman,  a  Protestant,  who  taught  in  Sacrament  street, 
and  remained  several  months.  There  I  learned  to  read  and 
write,  and  arithmetic  as  far  as  division.  All  the  progress  I  ever 
made  in  those  branches  was  gained  in  that  school,  as  I  have 
never  improved  in  any  of  them  since. 

A  number  of  girls  of  my  acquaintance  went  to  school  to  the 
nuns  of  the  Congregational  Nunnery,  or  Sisters  of  Charity,  as 
they  are  sometimes  called.  The  schools  taught  by  them  are 
perhaps  more  numerous  than  some  of  my  readers  may  imagine. 
Kuns  are  sent  out  from  that  Convent  to  many  of  the  towns  and 
villages  of  Canada  to  teach  small  schools ;  and  some  of  them  are 
established  as  instructresses  in  different  parts  of  the  United 
States.  When  I  was  about  ten  years  old,  my  mother  asked  me 
one  day  if  I  should  not  like  to  learn  to  read  and  write  French ; 
and  I  then  began  to  think  seriously  of  attending  the  school  in 
the  Congregational  Nunnery.  I  had  already  some  acquaintance 
with  that  language,  sufficient  to  speak  it  a  little,  as  I  heard  it 
every  day,  and  my  mother  knew  something  of  it. 

I  have  a  distinct  recollection  of  my  first  entrance  into  the 
Nunnery ;  and  the  day  was  an  important  one  in  my  life,  as  on  it 
commenced  my  acquaintance  with  a  Convent.  I  was  conducted 
by  some  of  my  young  friends  along  Notre  Dame-street  till  we 
reached  the  gate.  Entering  that,  we  walked  some  distance 
along  the  side  of  a  building  towards  the  chapel,  until  we  reached 
a  door,  stopped,  and  rung  a  bell.  This  was  soon  opened,  and 
entering,  we  proceeded  through  a  long  covered  passage  till  we 
took  a  short  turn  to  the  left,  soon  after  which  we  reached  the 
door  of  the  school-room.  On  my  entrance,  the  Superior  met 
me,  and  told  me  first  of  all  that  I  must  always  dip  my  fingers 
into  the  holy  water  at  her  door,  cross  myself,  and  say  a  siiort 
prayer ;  and  this  she  told  me  was  always  required  of  Protestant 
as  well  as  Catholic  children. 

There  were  about  fifty  girls  in  the  school,  and  the  nuns  pro- 
fessed to  teach  something  of  reading,  writing,  arithmetic,  and 


EARLY    RECOLLECTIONS. 


15 


geography.  Tho  methods,  however,  were  very  imperfect,  and 
little  attention  was  devoted  to  them,  the  time  being  in  a  great 
degree  engrossed  with  lessons  in  needle-work,  which  was  per- 
formed with  much  skill.  The  nuns  had  no  very  regular  parts 
asfijj'ned  ihem  in  the  management  of  the  schools.  They  were 
rather  rough  and  unpolished  in  their  manners,  often  exclaiming, 
"  c'est  uu  menti  "  (that's  a  lie),  and  "  mon  Dion  "  (my  God),  on 
the  most  trivial  occasions.  Tlieir  writing  was  quite  poor,  and  it 
was  not  uncommon  for  them  to  put  a  capital  letter  in  the  middle 
of  a  word.  The  only  book  on  geography  which  we  studied,  was 
a  catechism  of  geography,  from  wliich  we  learnt  by  heart  a  few 
questions  and  answers.  We  were  sometimes  referred  to  a  map, 
but  it  was  only  to  point  out  Montreal  or  Quebec,  or  some  other 
prominent  name,  while  wo  had  no  instruction  beyond. 

It  may  be  necessary  for  the  information  of  some  of  my  readers, 
to  mention  that  there  are  three  distinct  Convents  in  Montreal, 
all  of  dilTereut  kinds ;  that  is,  founded  on  diiferent  plans,  and 
governed  by  different  rules.    Their  names  are  as  follows : — 

1st.  The  Congregational  Nunnery. 

2d.  The  Black  Nunnery,  or  Convent  of  Sister  Bourgeoise. 

8d.  The  Grey  Nunnery. 

The  first  of  these  professes  to  be  devoted  entirely  to  the 
education  of  girls.  It  would  require  however  only  a  proper 
examination  to  prove  that,  with  the  exception  of  needle-work, 
hardly  anything  is  taught  excepting  prayers  and  the  catechism ; 
the  instruction  in  reading,  writing,  &o.,  in  fact,  amounting  to 
very  little,  and  often  to  nothing.  This  Convent  is  adjacent  to 
that  next  to  be  spoken  of,  being  separated  from  it  only  by  a 
wall.  The  second  professes  to  be  a  charitable  institution  for  the 
care  of  the  sick,  and  the  supply  of  bread  and  medicines  for  the 
poor;  and  something  is  done  in  these  departments  of  charity, 
althoifgii  but  an  insignificant  amount,  compared  with  the  size  of 
the  buildings,  and  tiie  number  of  the  inmates. 

The  Grey  Nunnery,  which  is  situated  in  a  distant  part  of  the 
city,  is  also  a  large  edifice,  containing  departments  for  the  oaro 
of  insane  persons  and  foundlings.  With  this,  however,  I  have 
less  personal  acquaintance  than  with  either  of  the  others.  1 
have  often  seen  two  of  the  Grey  nun?,  and  know  that  their  rules, 


. 


11 


■■■  t 


h 


1 


16 


AWFUL    DISCLOSURES. 


as  well  as  those  of  the  Congregational  Nunnery,  do  not  confine 
them  always  within  their  walls,  like  those  of  the  Black  Nunnery. 
These  two  Convents  have  their  common  names  (Black  and  Grey) 
from  the  colours  of  the  dresses  worn  by  their  inmates. 

In  all  these  three  Convents,  there  are  certain  apartments  into 
which  strangers  can  gain  admittance,  but  others  from  Avhicli 
they  are  always  excluded.  In  all,  large  quantities  of  various 
ornaments  are  made  by  the  nuns,  which  are  exposed  for  sale  ia 
the  Ornament  Rooms,  and  afford  large  pecuniary  receipts  every 
year,  which  contribute  much  to  their  incomes.  In  these  rooms 
visitors  often  i)urcliase  such  things  as  please  them  from  some  of 
the  old*  and  confidential  nuns  who  have  the  charge  of  them. 

From  all  that  appears  to  the  public  eye,  the  nuns  of  these 
Convents  are  devoted  to  the  charitable  objects  appropriate  to 
each,  the  labour  of  making  different  articles,  known  to  be  manu- 
factured by  them,  and  the  religious  observances,  which  occupy 
a  large  portion  of  their  time.  They  are  regarded  with  much 
respect  by  the  people  at  large ;  and  now  and  then  when  a  novice 
takes  the  veil,  she  is  supposed  to  retire  from  the  temptations 
and  troubles  of  this  world  into  a  state  of  holy  seclusion,  where, 
by  prayer,  self-mortification,  and  good  deeds,  she  prepares  her- 
self for  heaven.  Sometimes  the  Superior  of  a  Convent  obtains 
the  character  of  working  miracles  ;  and  when  such  a  one  dies, 
it  is  published  through  the  country,  and  crowds  throng  the 
Convent,  who  think  indulgences  are  to  be  derived  from  bits  of 
her  clothes  or  other  things  she  has  possessed ;  and  many  have 
sent  articles  to  be  touched  to  her  bed  or  chair,  in  which  a  degree 
of  virtue  is  thought  to  remain.  I  used  to  participate  in  such 
ideas  and  feelings,  and  began  by  degrees  to  look  upon  a  nun  as  the 
happiest  of  women,  and  a  Convent  as  the  most  peaceful,  holy, 
and  delightful  place  of  abode.  It  il  true,  some  pains  were  taken 
to  impress  such  views  upon  me.  Some  of  the  priests  of  the 
Seminary  often  visited  the  Congregation  Nunnery,  and  both 
catechised  and  talked  with  us  on  religion.  The  Superior  of  the 
Black  Nunnery  adjoining,  also,  occasionally  came  into  the  School, 
enlarged  on  the  advantages  we  enjoyed  in  having  such  teachers, 

*The  term  *'  old  nuD,"  does  not  alvrays  indicate  superior  age. 


\ 


EARLY     RECOLLECTIONS. 


It 


and  dropped  something  now  and  then  relating  to  her  own  Con- 
vent, calculated  to  make  us  entertain  the  higiiest  ideas  of  it,  and 
to  make  us  sometimes  think  of  the  possibility  of  getting  into  it. 

Among  the  instructions  given  us  by  the  priests,  some  of  the 
most  pointed  were  those  directed  against  the  Protestant  Bible. 
They  often  enlarged  upon  the  evil  tendency  of  that  book,  and 
told  us  that  but  for  it  many  a  soul  now  condemned  to  hell,  and 
suffering  eternal  punishment,  might  have  been  in  happiness. 
They  could  not  say  any  thing  in  its  favour :  for  that  would  be 
speaking  against  religion  and  against  God.  They  warned  us 
against  it,  and  represented  it  as  a  thing  very  dangerous  to  our 
souls.  In  confirmation  of  this,  they  would  repeat  some  of  the 
answers  taught  us  at  catechism,  a  few  of  which  I  will  here  give. 
We  had  little  catechisms  ("  Le  Petit  Catechism")  put  into  our 
Lands  to  study ;  but  the  priests  soon  began  to  teach  us  a  now 
set  of  answers,  which  were  not  to  be  found  in  our  books,  and 
from  some  of  which  I  received  new  ideas,  and  got,  as  I  thought, 
important  light  on  religious  subjects,  which  confirmed  me  more 
and  more  in  my  belief  in  the  Roman  Catholic  doctrines.  These 
questions  and  answers  I  can  still  recall  with  tolerable  accuracy, 
and  some  of  them  I  will  add  here.  I  never  have  read  them,  as 
we  were  taught  them  only  by  word  of  month. 

Question.  "  Pourquoi  le  bon  Bleu  n'a  pas  fait  tons  les  com- 
mandcmens  ? 

Jiepome.  "Parce  que  I'homme  n'est  pas  si  fort  qn'il  pent 
garder  tons  ses  commandemens. 

Q.  "  Why  did  not  God  make  all  the  commandments  ? 

A.  "  Because  man  is  not  strong  enough  to  keep  them. 

And  another.     Q.  "  Pourquoi  Thomme  ne  lit  pas  I'Evangile  ? 

i?.  "  Parce  que  I'esprit  de  I'homme  est  trop  born6  et  trop 
faible  pour  comprendre  qn'est  ce  que  Dieu  a  6crit. 

Q.  "  Why  are  men  not  to  read  the  New  Testament  ? " 

A.  "Because  the  mind  of  man  is  too  limited  and  weak  to 
understand  what  God  has  written." 

These  questions  and  answers  are  not  to  be  found  in  the  com- 
mon catechisms  in  use  in  Montreal  and  other  places  where  I 
have  been,  but  all  the  children  in  the  Congregational  Nunnery 
were  taught  them,  and  many  more  not  found  in  these  books. 


i 


i 


m 


I! 


"^[^ 


18 


AWFUL    DISCLOSURES. 


CHAPTER  II. 


\\' 


COXaREGATIONAL   NirNNERT. 

Story  told  by  a  fellow  Pupil  against  a  Priest— Other  Stories— Pretty  Mary— Confess 
to  Father  Richards — My  subsequent  Confessions— Left  the  Congregational  Nun- 
nery. 

There  was  a  girl  thirteen  years  old  -whom  I  knew  in  the  School, 
who  resided  in  tlie  neighborhood  of  my  mother,  and  with  whom 
I  liad  been  familiar.  She  told  me  one  day  at  school  of  the  con- 
duct of  a  priest  with  her  at  confession,  at  which  I  was  astonished. 
It  was  of  so  criminal  and  shameful  a  nature,  I  could  hardly 
believe  it,  and  yet  I  had  so  much  confidence  that  she  spoke  the 
truth,  that  I  could  not  discredit  it. 

She  was  partly  persuaded  by  the  priest  to  believe  that  he  could 
not  sin,  because  he  was  a  priest,  and  that  anything  he  did  to  her 
would  sanctify  her ;  and  yet  she  seemed  doubtful  liow  she  should 
act.  A  priest,  she  had  been  told  by  him,  is  a  holy  man,  and 
appointed  to  a  holy  office,  and  therefore  what  would  be  wicked 
in  other  men,  could  not  be  so  in  him.  She  told  me  that  she  had 
informed  her  mother  of  it,  who  expressed  no  anger  nor  disap- 
probation, but  only  enjoined  it  upon  her  not  to  speak  of  it ;  and 
remarked  to  her,  that  as  priests  were  not  like  other  men,  but 
holy,  and  sent  to  instruct  and  save  us,  whatever  they  did  was 
right. 

I  afterward  confessed  to  the  priest  that  I  had  heard  the  story, 
and  had  a  penance  to  perform  for  indulging  a  sinful  curiosity  in 
making  inquiries ;  and  the  girl  had  another  for  communicating 
it.  I  afterward  learned  that  other  children  had  been  treated  in 
the  same  manner,  and  also  of  similar  proceedings  in  other  places. 

Indeed,  it  was  not  long  before  such  language  was  used  to  me, 
and  I  well  remember  how  my  views  of  right  and  wrong  were  sha- 
ken by  it.    Another  girl  at  the  School,  from  a  place  above  Mon- 


CONGREGATIONAL    NUNNERY. 


19 


treal,  called  the  Lac,  told  mo  the  following  story  of  what  had  oc- 
curred recently  in  that  vicinity.  A  young  squaw,  called  la  Belle 
Marie,(pretty  Mary,)  iiad  been  seen  going  to  confession  at  the  house 
of  the  priest,  who  lived  a  little  out  of  the  village.  La  Belle  Marie 
was  afterwards  missed,  and  her  murdered  body  was  found  in  the 
river.  A  knife  was  also  found  covered  with  blood,  bearing  the 
priest's  name.  Great  indignation  was  excited  among  the  Indians, 
and  the  priest  immediately  absconded,  and  was  never  heard 
from  again.  A  note  was  found  on  his  table  addressed  to  him, 
telling  him  to  fly  if  he  was  guilty. 

It  was  supposed  that  the  priest  was  fearful  that  his  conduct 
might  be  betrayed  by  this  young  female ;  and  he  undertook  to 
clear  himself  by  killing  her. 

These  stories  struck  me  with  surprise  at  first,  but  I  gradually 
began  to  feel  differently,  even  supposing  them  true,  and  to  look 
upon  the  priests  as  men  incapable  of  sin ;  besides,  when  I  first 
•went  to  confession,  which  I  did  to  Father  Richards,  in  the  old 
French  church  (since  taken  down),  1  heard  nothing  improper; 
fl.nd  it  was  not  until  I  had  been  several  times,  that  the  priests 
became  more  and  more  bold,  and  were  at  length  indecent  in 
their  questions  and  even  in  their  conduct  when  I  confessed  to 
them  in  the  Sacristie.  This  subject  I  believe  is  not  understood 
nor  suspected  among  Protestants ;  and  it  is  not  my  intention  to 
speak  of  it  very  particularly,  because  it  is  impossible  to  do  so 
without  saying  things  both  shameful  and  demoralizing. 

I  will  only  say  here,  that  when  quite  a  child,  I  had  from  the 
mouths  of  the  priests  at  confession  what  I  cannot  repeat,  with 
treatment  corresponding;  and  several  females  in  Canada  have 
recently  assured  nie,  that  they  have  repeatedly,  and  indeed 
regularly,  been  required  to  answer  the  same  and  other  like 
questions,  many  of  which  present  to  the  mind  deeds  which  the 
most  iniquitous  and  corrupt  heart  could  hardly  invent. 

There  was  a  frequent  change  of  teachers  in  the  School  of  the 
Kunnery ;  and  no  regular  system  was  pursued  in  our  instruction. 
There  were  many  nuns  who  came  and  went  while  I  was  there, 
being  frequently  called  in  and  out  without  any  perceptible 
reason.  They  supply  school  teachers  to  many  of  the  country 
towns,  usually  two  for  each  of  the  towns  with  which  I  was 


H' 


U 


ill- 


>» 


\    i 


20 


AWFUL    DISCLOSURES. 


acquainted,  besides  sending  Sisters  of  Charity  to  different  parts 
of  tlie  United  States.  Among  those  wlioni  I  saw  most,  was 
Saint  Patrick,  an  old  woman  for  a  mm  (that  is,  about  forty), 
very  ignorant,  and  gross  in  her  manners,  witlj  quite  a  beard  on 
her  face,  and  very  cross  and  disagreeable.  She  was  sometimes 
our  teacher  in  .sewing,  and  was  appointed  to  keep  order  among 
us.  We  were  allowed  to  enter  only  a  few  of  the  rooms  in  the 
Congregational  Nunnery,  although  it  was  not  considered  one  of 
the  secluded  Convents. 

In  tlie  Black  Nunnery,  which  is  very  near  the  Congregational, 
is  an  hospital  for  sick  people  from  the  city ;  and  sometimes  somo 
of  our  boarders,  such  as  are  indisposed,  were  sent  there  to  be 
cured.  I  was  once  taken  ill  myself  and  sent  there,  where  I 
remained  a  few  days. 

There  were  beds  enough  for  a  considerable  number  more.  A 
physician  attended  it  daily ;  and  there  are  a  number  of  the  veiled 
nuns  of  that  Convent  who  spend  most  of  their  time  there. 

These  would  also  sometimes  read  lectures  and  repeat  prayers 
to  us. 

After  I  had  been  in  the  Congregational  Nunnery  about  two 
years,  I  left  it,*  and  attended  several  different  schools  for  a  short 
time ;  but  I  soon  became  dissatisfied,  having  many  and  severe 
trials  to  endure  at  home,  •which  my  feelings  will  not  allow  me  to 
describe ;  and  as  my  Catholic  acquaintances  had  often  spoken  to 
me  in  favour  of  their  faith,  I  was  inclined  to  believe  it  true, 
although,  as  I  before  said,  I  knew  little  of  any  religion.  While 
out  of  the  nunnery,  I  saw  nothing  of  religion.  If  I  had,  I 
believe  I  should  never  have  thought  of  becoming  a  nun. 

*  See  the  2d  affidavit. 


BLACK     NUNNERY. 


21 


CHAPTEPw  III. 


BLACK    NUNNERY. 


Prepaia.L  J9  to  become  a  Novice  in  the  Blaclc  Nunnery— Entrance— Occupations  of 
the  Novices— The  Apartments  to  which  they  had  Access— First  Interview  with 
Jane  Ray— Reverence  for  the  Superior— Her  Reliques— The  Holy  Good  Shepherd 
or  nameless  Nun — Confession  of  Novices. 

At  length  I  determined  to  become  a  Black  nun,  and  called 
upon  one  of  the  oldest  priests  in  the  Seminary,  to  whom  I  made 
known  my  intention. 

The  old  priest  to  whom  I  applied  was  Father  Rocque.  Ho 
is  still  alive.  He  was  at  that  time  the  oldest  priest  in  the  Semi- 
nary, and  carried  the  Bon  Dieu,  (Good  God,)  as  the  sacramental 
wafer  is  called.  When  going  to  administer  it  in  any  country 
place,  he  used  to  ride  with  a  man  before  him,  who  rang  a  bell 
as  a  signal.  When  the  Canadians  heard  it,  whose  habitations  he 
passed,  they  would  come  and  prostrate  themselves  to  the  earth, 
worshipping  it  as  God.  He  was  a  man  of  great  age,  and  wore 
large  curls,  so  that  he  somewhat  resembled  his  predecessor, 
Father  Roue.  He  was  at  that  time  at  the  head  of  the  Seminary. 
This  institution  is  a  large  edifice,  situated  near  the  Congrega- 
tional and  Black  Nunneries,  being  on  the  east  side  of  ISr6tre 
Dame  street.  It  is  the  general  rendezvous  and  centre  of  all  the 
priests  in  the  District  of  Montreal,  and,  I  have  been  told,  supplies 
all  the  country  with  priests  as  far  down  as  Three  Rivers,  which 
place,  I  believe,  is  under  the  charge  of  the  Seminary  of  Quebec. 
About  one  hundred  and  fifty  priests  are  connected  with  tliat  of 
Montreal,  as  every  small  place  has  one  priest,  and  a  number  of 
larger  ones  have  two. 

Father  Rocque  promised  to  converse  with  the  Superior  of  the 
Convent,  and  proposed  my  calling  again,  at  the  end  of  two 
weeks,  at  which  time  I  visited  the  Seminary  again,  and  was  intro* 


.! : 


li' 


m 


1 


m 


m 


•i; 


is'jp' 


I 


III 

biff 


j    in 


* 


22 


AWFUL     DISCLOSURES 


(luced  by  him  to  tlie  Superior  of  the  Black  Knnnery.  She  told  mo 
she  must  make  some  inquiries,  before  she  could  give  me  a  decided 
answer ;  and  proposed  to  me  to  take  up  my  abode  a  few  days  at 
the  house  of  a  French  family  in  St.  Lawrence  suburbs,  a  distant 
part  of  the  city.  Here  I  remained  about  a  fortnight;  during 
which  time  I  formed  some  acquaintance  with  the  family,  parti- 
cularly with  the  mistress  of  the  house,  who  was  a  devoted  Papist, 
and  had  a  high  respect  for  the  Superior,  with  whom  she  stood 
on  good  terms. 

At  length,  on  Saturday  morning  about  ten  o'clock,  I  called  and 
was  admitted  into  the  Black  Nunnery,  as  a  novice,  much  to  my 
satisfaction,  for  I  had  a  high  idea  of  a  life  in  a  Convent,  seclud- 
ed, as  I  supposed  the  inmates  to  be,  from  the  world  and  all  its 
evil  influences,  and  assured  of  everlasting  happiness  in  heaven. 
The  Superior  received  me,  and  conducted  me  into  a  large  room, 
where  the  novices,  [who  are  called  in  French  Postulantes,)  were 
assembled,  and  engaged  in  their  customary  occupation  of  sew- 
ing. 

Here  were  about  forty  of  them,  and  they  were  collected  in 
groups  in  difl'erent  parts  of  the  room,  chiefly  near  the  windows  ; 
but  in  each  group  was  found  one  of  the  veiled  nuns  of  the  Con- 
vent, whose  abode  was  in  the  interior  apartments,  to  which  no 
novice  was  to  be  admitted.  As  we  entered,  the  Superior  in- 
formed the  assembly  that  a  new  novice  had  come,  and  she  desir- 
ed any  present  who  might  have  known  me  in  the  world  to 
signify  it. 

Two  Miss  Fougn^es,  and  a  Miss  Howard,  from  Vermont,  who 
had  been  my  fellow-pupils  in  the  Congregational  Nunnery, 
immediately  recognised  me.  I  was  then  placed  in  one  of  the 
groups,  at  a  distance  from  them,  and  furnished  by  a  nun  called 
Sainte  Clotilde,  with  materials  to  make  a  kind  of  purse,  such  as 
the  priests  use  to  carry  the  consecrated  wafer  in,  when  they  go 
to  administer  the  sacrament  to  the  sick.  I  well  remember  my 
feelings  at  that  time,  sitting  among  a  number  of  strangers,  and 
expecting  with  painful  anxiety  the  arrival  of  the  dinner  hour. 
Then,  as  I  knew,  ceremonies  were  to  be  performed,  for  which  I 
•was  but  ill  prepared,  as  I  had  not  yet  heard  the  rules  by  which 
I  was  to  be  governed,  and  knew  nothing  of  the  forms  to  be 


BLACK     NUNNERY. 


23 


repeated  in  the  daily  exercises,  except  the  creed  in  Latin,  and 
that  imperfectly.  This  was  during  the  time  of  recreation,  as  it 
is  called.  The  only  recreation  there  allowed,  however,  is  that 
of  the  mind,  and  of  this  there  is  but  little.  "We  were  kept  at 
work,  and  permitted  to  speak  with  each  other  only  on  such  sub- 
jects OS  related  to  the  Conyerit,  and  all  in  the  liearing  of  the  old 
nuns  who  sat  by  us.  We  proceeded  to  dinner  in  couples,  and 
ate  in  silence  while  a  lecture  was  read. 

The  novices  had  access  to  only  eight  of  the  apartments  of  the 
Convent ;  and  whatever  else  we  wished  to  know,  we  could  only 
conjecture.  The  sleeping  room  was  in  the  second  story,  at  the 
end  of  the  western  wing.  The  beds  were  placed  in  rows,  with- 
out curtains  or  anything  else  to  obstruct  the  view ;  and  in  one 
corner  was  a  small  room  partitioned  off,  in  which  was  the  bed 
of  the  night-watch,  that  is,  the  old  nun  that  was  appointed  to 
oversee  us  for  the  night.  In  each  side  of  the  partition  were  two 
holes,  through  which  she  could  look  out  upon  us  whenever  she 
pleased.  Her  bed  was  a  little  raised  above  the  level  of  the 
others.  There  was  a  lamp  hung  in  the  middle  of  our  chamber 
which  showed  every  thing  to  her  distinctly ;  and  as  she  had  no 
light  in  her  little  room,  we  never  could  perceive  whether  she 
was  awake  or  asleep.  As  we  knew  that  the  slightest  deviation 
from  the  rules  would  expose  us  to  her  observation,  as  well  as  to 
that  of  our  companions,  in  whom  it  was  a  virtue  to  betray  one 
another's  faults,  as  well  as  to  confess  our  own,  I  felt  myself 
under  a  continual  exposure  to  suffer  what  I  disliked,  and  had 
iny  mind  occupied  in  thinking  of  what  I  was  to  do  next,  and 
what  I  must  avoid. 

I  soon  learned  the  rules  and  ceremonies  we  had  to  regard, 
which  were  many  ;  and  we  had  to  be  very  particular  in  their 
observance.  We  were  employed  in  different  kinds  of  work 
while  I  was  a  novice.  The  most  beautiful  specimen  of  the  nuns' 
manufacture  which  I  saw  was  a  rich  carpet  made  of  fine  wor- 
sted, which  had  been  begun  before  my  acquaintance  with  the 
Convent,  and  was  finished  while  I  was  there.  This  was  sent  as 
a  present  to  the  King  of  England,  as  an  expression  of  gratitude 
for  the  money  annually  received  from  the  government.  It  was 
about  forty  yards  in  length,  and  very  handsome.    Wo  wero 


r.'  .  I 


a 


:it* 


\'  ! 


I 


m 


A 


ill 

■■ .'  It 


1;     1 


m 


24 


AWFUL    DISCLOSURES. 


ignorant  of  the  amount  of  money  thus  received.  The  Convent 
of  Grey  Nuns  has  also  received  funds  from  the  government, 
though  on  some  account  or  other,  had  not  for  several  years. 

I  was  sitting  by  a  window  at  one  time,  with  a  girl  named 
Jane  M^Coy,  when  one  of  the  old  nuns  came  up  and  spoke  to  us 
in  a  tone  of  liveliness  and  kindness  which  seemed  strange, 
in  a  place  where  everything  seemed  so  cold  and  reserved. 
Some  remark  which  she  made  was  evidently  intended  to  cheer 
and  encourage  me,  and  made  me  think  that  she  felt  some  inte- 
rest in  me.  I  do  not  recollect  what  she  said,  but  I  remember 
it  gave  me  pleasure.  I  also  remember  that  her  manner  struck 
me  singularly.  She  was  rather  old  for  a  nun,  that  is,  probably 
thirty ;  her  figure  large,  her  face  wrinkled,  and  her  dress  care- 
less. She  seemed  also  to  be  under  less  restraint  than  the  others, 
and  this,  I  afterward  found,  was  the  case.  She  sometimes  even 
set  the  rules  at  defiance.  She  would  speak  aloud  when  silen^a 
was  required,  and  sometimes  walk  about  when  she  ought 
to  have  kept  her  place;  she  would  even  s*?y  and  do  things 
on  purpose  to  make  us  laugh ;  and  although  often  blamed  for 
her  conduct,  had  her  offences  frequently  passed  over,  when 
others  would  have  been  punished  with  penances. 

I  learnt  that  this  woman  had  always  been  singular.  She 
never  would  consent  to  take  a  saint's  name  on  receiving  the 
veil,  and  had  always  been  known  b}'^  her  own,  which  was  Jano 
Ray.  Her  irregularities  were  /ound  to  be  numerous,  and 
penances  were  of  so  little  use  in  governing  her,  that  she  was 
pitied  by  some,  who  thought  her  partially  insane.  She  was, 
therefore,  commonly  spoken  of  as  mad  Jane  Ray  ;  and  wheu  she 
committed  a  fault,  it  was  often  apologized  for  by  the  Superior 
or  other  nuns,  on  the  ground  that  she  did  not  know  what 
she  did. 

The  occupations  of  a  novice  in  the  Black  Nunnery  are  not 
such  as  some  of  my  readers  may  suppose.  They  are  not 
employed  in  studying  the  higher  branches  of  education;  they 
are  not  offered  any  advantages  for  storing  their  mind,  or  polish- 
ing their  manners;  they  are  not  taught  even  reading,  writing,  or 
arithmetic;  nmch  less  any  of  the  more  advanced  branches  of 
knowledge.    My  time  was  chiefly  employed,  at  first,  in  work 


tkl 


over,  when 


BLACK    KCK:    EBT 


25 


and  prayers.  It  is  true,  during  the  la  ^t  year  I  :udied  a  great 
deal,  and  was  required  to  work  but  very  little ;  ^^ut  it  >  *  the 
study  of  prayers  in  French  and  Latin,  which  I  liad  mer  Ay  to 
commit  to  memory,  to  prepare  for  the  easy  repetition  them 
on  my  reception,  and  after  I  should  be  admitted  as  a  nun. 

Among  the  wonderful  events  which  had  happened  in  the  Oon- 
vent,  that  of  the  sudden  conversion  of  a  gay  young  lady  of  the 
city  into  a  nun,  appeared  to  me  one  of  the  most  remarkable.  The 
fitory  which  I  first  heard,  while  a  novice,  made  a  deep  impres- 
sion upon  my  mind.    It  was  nearly  as  follows : 

The  daughter  of  a  wealthy  citizen  of  Montreal  was  passing  the 
church  of  Bon  Secours,  one  evening,  on  her  way  to  a  ball,  when 
she  was  suddenly  thrown  down  upon  the  steps  or  near  the  door, 
and  received  a  severe  shock.  She  was  taken  up,  and  removed 
first,  I  think,  into  the  church,  but  soon  into  the  Black  Nunnery, 
which  she  soon  determined  to  join  as  a  nun ;  instead,  however, 
of  being  required  to  pass  through  a  long  novitiate  (which  usually 
occupies  about  two  years  and  a-hal^  and  is  abridged  only  where 
the  character  is  peculiarly  exemplary  and  devout),  she  was  per- 
mitted to  take  the  veil  without  delay ;  being  declared  by  God  to 
a  priest  to  be  in  a  state  of  sanctity.  The  meaning  of  this  expres- 
sion is,  that  she  was  a  real  saint,  and  already  in  a  great  measure 
raised  above  the  world  and  its  influences,  and  incapable  of  sin- 
ning, possessing  the  power  of  intercession,  and  being  a  proper 
object  to  bo  addressed  in  prayer.  This  remarkable  individual,  I 
was  further  informed,  was  still  in  the  Convent,  though  I  never 
was  allowed  to  see  her;  she  did  not  mingle  with  the  other  nuns, 
either  at  work,  worship,  or  meals;  for  she  had  no  need  of  food, 
and  not  only  her  soul,  but  her  body,  was  in  heaven  a  great  part 
of  her  time.  What  added,  if  possible,  to  the  reverence  and  mys- 
terious awe  with  which  I  thought  of  her,  was  the  fact  I  learned, 
that  she  had  no  name.  The  titles  used  in  speaking  of  her  were, 
the  holy  saint,  reverend  mother,  or  saint  bon  pasteur  (the  holy 
good  shepherd). 

It  is  wonderful  that  we  could  have  carried  our  reverence  for 
the  Superior  as  far  as  we  did,  although  it  was  the  direct  ten- 
dency of  many  instructions  and  regulations,  indeed  of  the  whole 
system,  to  permit,  even  to  foster  a  superstitious  regard  for  her. 


i    M 


ii| 


■I  •(■ 


<-  I 


'.I  i 

r  ■ 

'■'1 

i:! 


rf 


.*' 


26 


AWFUL     DISCLOSURES. 


One  of  us  was  occasionally  called  into  her  room,  to  cut  her  nails 
or  dress  lier  hair;  and  wo  would  often  collect  the  clipping;*,  and 
distribute  them  to  each  other,  or  preserve  them  with  the  utmost 
care.  I  once  picked  up  uU  the  stray  hairs  I  could  find,  after 
combing  her  head,  bound  them  together,  and  kept  tiiem  fur  some 
time,  until  she  told  me  I  was  not  worthy  to  possess  things  so 
sacred.  Jane  M'Coy  and  I  were  once  sent  to  alter  a  dress  for  the 
Superior.  I  gathered  up  all  the  bits  of  thread,  made  a  little  bag, 
and  put  them  iuto  it  for  safe  preservation.  This  I  wore  a  long 
time  around  my  neck,  so  long,  indeed,  that  I  wore  out  a  number 
of  strings,  which,  I  remember,  I  rejdaced  with  new  ones.  I 
believed  it  to  possess  the  power  of  removing  pain,  and  often 
prayed  to  it  to  cure  the  tooth-ache,  &c.  Jane  Kay  sometimes 
professed  to  outgo  us  all  in  devotion  to  the  Superior,  and  would 
pick  up  the  feathers  after  making  her  bed.  These  she  would  dis- 
tribute among  us,  saying,  "  When  the  Superior  dies,  reliques  will 
begin  to  grow  scarce,  and  you  had  better  supply  yourselves  iii 
season."  Then  she  would  treat  the  whole  matter  in  some  way 
to  turn  it  into  ridicule.  Equally  contradictory  would  she  appear, 
when  occasionally  she  would  obtain  leave  from  the  Superior  to 
tell  her  dreams.  With  a  serious  face,  which  sometimes  imposed 
upon  all  of  us,  and  made  us  half  believe  she  was  in  a  perfect 
state  of  sanctity,  she  would  narrate  in  French  some  unaccount- 
able vision  which  she  said  she  had  enjoyed.  Then  turning  round, 
would  say,  "  There  are  some  who  do  not  understand  me ;  you  all 
ought  to  be  informed."  And  then  she  would  say  something 
totally  different  in  English,  which  put  us  to  the  greatest  agony 
for  fear  of  laughing.  Sometimes  she  would  say  that  she  ex- 
pected to  be  Superior  herself,  one  of  these  days,  and  other  things 
which  I  have  not  room  to  repeat. 

While  I  was  in  the  Congregational  Nunnery,  I  had  gone  to 
the  parish  church  whenever  I  was  to  confess ;  for  although  the 
nuns  had  a  private  confession-room  in  the  building,  the  boarders 
were  taken  in  parties  through  the  streets  on  different  days  by 
some  of  the  nuns,  to  confess  in  the  church ;  but  in  the  Black 
Kunnery,  as  we  had  a  chapel  and  priests  attending  in  the  con- 
fessionals, we  never  left  the  building. 

Oar  confessions  there  as  novices,  were  always  performed  in* 


# 


» 


BLACK     NUNNKUY 


27 


one  way,  8«  that  it  may  bo  sufficient  to  describe  a  bingle  case. 
Those  of  us  wlio  were  to  confess  at  a  purlicuhir  time,  took  our 
places  on  our  knees  near  the  confessional -box,  and  after  having 
repeated  a  number  of  prayers,  &c.,  prescribed  in  our  booivs, 
came  up  one  at  a  time  and  kneeled  beside  a  tine  wooden  lattice- 
work, which  entirely  separated  the  confessor  from  us,  yet  per- 
mitted us  to  place  our  faces  almost  to  his  ear,  and  nearly  con- 
cealed his  countenance  from  view,  even  when  so  near.  I  recol- 
lect how  the  priests  used  to  recline  their  heads  on  one  side,  and 
often  covered  their  faces  with  their  handkerchiefs,  while  they 
lieard  me  confess  my  sins,  and  put  questions  to  me,  whicii  were 
often  of  the  most  improper  and  even  revolting  nature,  naming 
crimes  both  unthought  of  and  inhuman.  Still,  strange  as  it  may 
seem,  I  was  persuaded  to  believe  that  all  this  was  their  duty,  or 
at  least  that  it  was  done  without  sin. 

Veiled  nuns  would  often  appear  in  the  chapel  at  confession ; 
though,  &i  I  understood,  they  generally  confessed  in  private.  Of 
the  plan  of  their  confession-rooms  I  had  no  information ;  but  I 
supposed  the  ceremony  to  be  conducted  much  on  the  same  plan 
as  in  the  chapel  and  in  the  church,  viz.  with  a  lattice  interposed 
between  the  confessor  and  the  confessing. 

Punishments  were  sometimes  resorted  to,  whiVj  I  was  a  novice, 
though  but  seldom.  The  first  time  I  ever  saw  a  gag,  was  one 
day  when  a  young  novice  had  done  something  to  offend  the 
Superior.  This  girl  I  always  had  compassion  for ;  because  she 
was  very  young,  and  an  orphan.  The  Superior  sent  for  a  gag, 
and  expressed  her  regret  at  being  compelled,  by  the  bad  conduct 
of  the  child,  to  proceed  to  such  a  punishment ;  after  which  she 
put  it  into  her  mouth,  so  far  as  to  keep  it  open,  and  then  let  it 
remain  some  time  before  she  took  it  out.  There  was  a  leathern 
strap  fastened  to  each  end,  and  buckled  to  the  back  part  of  the 
head.  « 


^       ST  I  I 

1^  I 


,  I 


4,v 
Ef  .1 


;tl 


M 


M'f 


ml 


I' 'a' 


)  ■  , 

i*  i 


t. 


.  •» 


*r 


Ml! 


i.ii 


28 


AWFUL     DISCLOSURES 


CHAPTER  IV. 


% 


Displeased  with  tlie  Oonrent— Left  it — Residence  at  St.  Denis — Rellques — Marriage 
— Return  to  the  Blacic  Nunnery — Objections  made  by  some  Novices— Ideas  of  the 
Bible. 

After  I  had  been  in  the  nunneries  four  or  live  years,  from 
the  time  I  commenced  school  at  the  Congregational  Convent,  one 
day  I  was  treated  by  one  of  the  nuns  in  a  manner  which  dis- 
pleased me,  and  because  I  expressed  some  resentment,  was 
required  to  beg  her  pardon.  Not  being  satisfied  with  this,  although 
I  complied  with  the  command,  nor  with  the  coolness  witli  whi6h 
the  Superior  treated  me,  I  determined  to  quit  the  Convent  «it 
once,  which  I  did  without  asking  leave.  There  would  have 
been  no  obstacle  to  my  departure,  I  presume,  novice  as  I  then 
was,  if  I  had  asked  permission ;  but  I  was  too  much  displeased 
to  wait  for  that,  and  went  home  without  speaking  to  any  one 
on  the  subject. 

I  soon  after  visited  the  town  of  St.  Denis,  where  I  saw  two  young 
ladies  with  whom  I  had  formerly  been  acquainted  in  Montreal, 
and  one  of  them  a  former  schoolmate  at  Mr.  Workman's  school. 
After  some  conversation  with  me,  and  learning  that  I  had  known 
a  lady  who  kept  school  in  the  place,  they  advised  me  to  apply 
to  her  to  be  employed  as  her  assistant  teacher ;  for  she  was 
then  Instructing  the  government  school  in  that  place. 

I  visited  her,  and  found  her  willing,  and  I  engaged  at  once  as 
her  assistant. 

The  government  society  paid  her  201.  a-year :  she  was  obliged 
to  teach  ten  children  gratuitously ;  might  receive  fifteen  pence  a 
month  (about  a  quarter  of  a  dollar),  for  each  of  ten  scholars 
more;  and  then  she  was  at  liberty,  accori^ng  to  ^he  regulations, 
to  clemand  as  much  as  she  plef^d  for  tlie  other  ^P|>ils.  The 
course  of  instraotion,  as  required  b|.the  sociely,  embraced  only 


>• 


BLACK     NUNNERY. 


29 


readin^,  "writing,  and  what  was  called  ciphering,  though  I  tliink 
improperly.  The  only  books  used  were  a  spelling-book,  I'lnstruc- 
tion  de  la  Jeunesse,  the  Catholic  New  Testament,  and  I'Hiistoire 
de  Canada.  Wlien  these  had  been  read  through,  in  regular  suc- 
cession, the  children  were  dismissed  as  liaving  completed  their 
education.  Ko  difficulty  is  found  in  making  the  common 
French  Canadians  content  with  such  aa  amount  of  instruc- 
tion as  this;  on  the  contrary,  it  is  often  very  hard  indeed 
to  prevail  upon  them  to  send  their  children  at  all,  for  they  say 
it  takes  too  much  of  the  love  of  God  from  them  to  sent  them  to 
school.  The  teacher  strictly  complied  with  the  requisitions  of 
the  society  in  whose  employment  she  was,  and  the  Eoman 
Catholic  catechism  was  regularly  taught  in  the  school,  as  much 
from  choice  as  from  submission  to  authority,  as  she  was  a  strict 
Catholic.  I  had  brought  with  me  the  little  bag  I  have  before 
mentioned,  in  which  I  had  so  long  kept  the  clippings  of  the 
thread  left  after  making  a  dress  for  the  Superior.  Such  was  my 
regard  for  it,  that  I  continued  to  wear  it  constantly  round  my 
neck,  and  to  feel  the  same  reverence  for  its  supposed  virtues  as 
before.  I  occasionally  had  the  toothache  during  my  stay  at 
St.  Denis,  and  then  always  relied  on  the  influence  of  my  little 
bag.    On  such  occasions  I  would  say — 

"By  the  virtue  of  this  bag,  may  I  be  delivered  from  the 
toothache ;''  and  I  supposed  that  when  it  ceased,  it  was  owing 
to  that  cause. 

While  engaged  in  this  manner,  I  became  acquainted  with  a 
man  who  soon  proposed  marriage ;  and  young  and  ignorant  of 
the  world  as  I  was,  I  heard  his  offers  with  favour.  On  consult- 
ing with  my  friend,  she  expressed  an  interest  for  me,  advised 
me  against  taking  such  a  step,  and  especially  as  I  knew  little 
about  the  man,  except  that  a  report  was  circulated  unfavorable 
to  his  character.  Unfortunately,  I  was  not  wise  enough  to  listen 
to  her  advice,  and  hastily  married.  In  a  few  weeks,  I  had  occa- 
sion to  repent  of  the  step  I  had  t»>^ken,  as  the  report  proved 
true — a  report  which  I  thought  justified,  and  indeed  required,  our 
f<eparation.  After  I  had  been  in  St.  Denis  about  three  months, 
finding  myself  thus  situated,  and  not  knowing  what  else  to  do, 
I  determined  to  return  to  the  Convent,  and  pQni||,  my  former 


■;  i  1 


m 


■  i 


m 

I'M' 


J 


V 


ii 


30 


AWFUL    DISOLOSUBES. 


intention  of  becoming  a  Black  nun,  could  I  gain  admittance. 
Knowing  tlie  many  iuquirieg  that  the  Superior  would  make 
relative  to  me,  during  my  absence  before  leaving  St.  Denis,  I 
agreed  with  tiie  lady  with  whom  I  had  been  associated  as  a 
teacher  (when  she  went  to  Montreal,  which  she  did  very 
fl-equenily),  to  say  to  tiie  Lady  Superior  that  I  had  been  under 
her  protection  during  my  absence,  which  would  satisfy  her,  and 
stop  further  inquiry  ;  as  I  was  sensible,  that,  should  they  know  I 
had  been  married,  I  should  not  gain  admittance. 
•  I  soon  returned  to  Montreal,  and  on  reaching  the  city,  I  visited 
the  Seminary,  and  in  another  interview  with  the  Superior  of  it, 
communicated  my  wish,  and  desired  him  to  procure  my  re-admis- 
sion as  a  novice.    Little  delay  occurred. 

After  leaving  me  for  a  short  time,  he  returned,  and  told  rao 
that  the  Superior  of  the  Convent  had  consented,  and  I  was 
soon  introduced  into  her  presence.  She  blamed  me  for  my  con- 
duct in  leaving  the  nunnery,  but  told  me  that  I  ought  to  be  ever 
grateful  to  my  guardian  angel  for  taking  care  of  me,  and  bring- 
ing me  in  safety  back  to  that  retreat.  I  requested  that  I  might 
be  secured  against  the  reproaches  and  ridicule  of  all  the  novices 
and  nuns,  which  I  thought  some  might  be  disposed  to  cast  upon 
me  unless  prohibited  by  the  Superior ;  and  this  she  promised  me. 
The  money  usually  required  for  the  admission  of  novices  had  not 
been  expected  from  me.  I  had  been  admitted  the  first  time  with- 
out any  such  requisition;  but  now  I  chose  to  pay  it  for  my 
re-admission.  I  knew  that  she  was  able  to  dispense  with  such  a 
demand  as  well  in  this  as  the  former  case,  and  she  knew  that 
I  was  not  in  possession  of  any  thing  like  the  sum  required. 

But  I  was  bent  on  paying  to  the  Nunnery,  and  accustomed  to 
receive  the  doctrine  often  repeated  to  me  before  that  time,  that 
when  the  advantage  of  the  church  was  consulted,  the  steps 
taken  were  justifiable,  let  them  be  what  they  would,  I  therefore 
resolved  to  obtain  money  on  false  pretences,  confident  that  if  all 
were  known,  I  should  be  far  from  displeasing  the  Superior.  I 
went  to  the  brigade  major,  and  asked  him  to  give  me  the  money 
payable  to  my  mother  from  her  pension,  which  amounted  to 
about  thirty  dollars,  and  without  questioning  my  aatbority  to 
receive  it  in  her  name,  he  gave  it  me.  Mg.       ' 


BLACK    NUNNERY. 


81 


From  several  of  her  friends  I  obtained  small  suras  under  the 
name  of  loans,  ?o  that  altogether  I  had  soon  raised  a  number  of 
poundii,  with  which  I  hastened  to  the  nunnery,  and  deposited  a 
part  in  tlie  hands  of  the  Superior.  She  received  the  money  with 
evident  satisfaction,  tliough  sho  must  have  known  that  I  could 
not  liavo  obtained  it  honestly ;  and  I  was  at  once  re-admitted  as 
a  novice. 

Much  to  my  gratification,  not  a  word  fell  from  the  lips  of  any 
of  my  old  associates  in  relation  to  my  unceremonious  departure, 
nor  my  voluntary  return.  The  Superior's  orders,  I  had  not  a 
doubt,  had  been  explicitly  laid  down,  and  they  certainly  were 
carefully  obeyed,  for  I  never  heard  an  allusion  made  to  that 
subject  during  my  subsequent  stay  in  the  Convent,  except  that, 
•when  alone,  the  Superior  would  herself  sometimes  say  a  little 
about  it. 

There  were  numbers  of  young  ladies  who  entered  awhile  as 
novices,  and  became  weary  or  disgusted  with  some  things  they 
observed,  and  remained  but  a  short  time.  One  of  my  coasins, 
who  lived  at  Lachine,  named  Reed,  spent  about  a  fortniglit  in 
the  Convent  with  me.  She,  however,  conceived  such  an  antipa^ 
thy  against  the  priests,  that  she  used  expressions  which  offended 
the  Supei'ior. 

The  first  day  she  attended  mass,  while  at  dinner  with  us  in 
full  community,  she  said  before  us  all :  "  What  a  rascal  that 
priest  was,  to  preach  against  his  best  friend  1" 

All  stared  at  such  an  unusual  exclamation,  amd  some  one 
inquired  what  she  meant. 

*'  I  sa3',"  she  continued,  "he  has  been  preaching  against  him 
who  gives  him  his  bread.  Do  you  suppose  that  if  there  were  no 
devil,  there  wouhl  be  any  priests^" 

Tliis  bold  young  novice  was  inmiediately  dismissed:  and 
in  the  afternoon  we  had  a  long  sermon  from  the  Superior  on  tlie 
subject- 
It  liappened  tljat  I  one  dny  got  a  leaf  of  an  Englisli  Bible, 
which  had  been  brought  into  the  Convent,  wrapped  round  some 
sewing  silk,  purchased  at  a  store  in  the  city.  For  some  reason 
or  other,  I  determined  to  commit  to  memory  a  chapter  it  con- 
tained, which  I  soon  d^    It  is  the  only  chapter  I  ever  learnt  in 


'!% 


t: 


!'  IP 


,:|. 


1:1;: 

ji 
.;  I 


i5 


li 


\ 


82 


AWFUL    DISCLOSURES. 


the  Bible,  and  I  can  now  repeat  it.  It  is  the  second  of  St.  Mat- 
thew's gospel,  "Now  when  Jesus  was  born  in  Betlilehem 
of  Judea,"  &c. 

It  happened  that  I  was  observed  reading  the  paper,  and  when 
the  nature  of  it  was  discoyered,  I  was  condemned  to  do  penance 
for  my  offence. 

Great  dislike  to  the  Bible  was  shown  by  those  who  conversed 
with  me  about  it,  and  several  have  remarked  to  me,  at  different 
0^  times,  that  if  it  were  not  for  that  book,  Catholics  would  never 
y%  '      be  led  to  renounce  their  own  faith. 

I  heard  passages  read  from  the  Evangile,  relating  to  the  death 
of  Christ ;  the  conversion  of  Paul ;  a  few  chapters  from  St.  Mat- 
thew, and  perhaps  a  few  others.  The  priest  would  also  some- 
times take  a  verse  or  two,  and  preach  from  it.  I  read  St.  Peter's 
Life,  but  only  in  the  book  called  the  "  Lives  of  the  Saints."  He, 
I  understand,  has  the  keys  of  heaven  and  hell,  and  has  founded 
our  church.  As  for  St.  Paul,  I  remember,  as  I  was  taught 
to  understand  it,  that  he  was  once  a  great  persecutor  of  the 
Boman  Catholics^  until  he  became  convicted,  and  confessed  to 
one  of  the  father  confessors^  I  don't  know  which.  For  who 
can  expect  to  be  forgiven  who  does  not  become  a  Catholic,  and 
confess  ? 


# 


■4 


.4 


« 


BLACK    NUNNERY. 


88 


CHAPTER  V. 

Received  Confirmation— Painful  Peelings — Specimen  of  Instruction  received  on  the 

Subject. 

The  day  on  which  I  received  confirmation  was  a  distressing 
one  to  me.  I  believed  the  doctrine  of  the  Roman  CathoHcs, 
and  according  to  them  I  was  guilty  of  three  mortal  sins ;  con- 
cealing something  at  confession,  sacrilege,  in  putting  the  body  of 
Christ  in  the  sacrament  under  my  feet,  and  receiving  it  while 
not  in  a  state  of  grace ;  and  now,  I  had  been  led  into  all  those 
sins  in  consequence  of  my  marriage,  which  I  never  had  acknow- 
ledged, as  it  would  cut  me  off  from  being  admitted  as  a  nun. 

On  the  day,  therefore,  when  I  went  to  the  church  to  be  con- 
firmed, with  a  number  of  others,  I  suffered  extremely  from  the 
reproaches  of  my  conscience.  I  knew,  at  least  I  believed,  as  I 
had  been  told,  that  a  person  who  had  been  anointed  with 
the  hSly  oil  of  confirmation  on  the  forehead,  and  dying  in  the 
state  in  which  I  was,  would  go  down  to  hell,  and  in  the 
place  where  the  oil  had  been  rubbed,  the  names  of  my  sins 
would  blaze  out  on  my  forehead;  these  would  be  a  sign  by 
which  the  devils  would  know  me ;  and  they  would  torment  me 
the  worse  for  them.  I  was  thinking  of  all  this,  while  I  sat  in  the 
pew,  waiting  to  receive  the  oil.  I  felt,  however,  some  consola- 
tion, as  I  often  did  afterward  when  my  sins  carao  to  Tiind;  and 
this  consolation  I  derived  from  another  doctrine  of  the  same 
church :  viz.  that  a  bishop  could  absolve  me  from  all  these  sins 
any  minute  before  my  death ;  and  I  intended  to  confess  them  all 
to  a  bishop  before  leaving  the  world.  At  length,  the  moment 
for  administering  the  "sacrament"  arrived,  and  a  bell  was 
rang.  Those  who  had  come  to  be  confirmed  had  brought 
tickets  from  their  confessors,  and  these  were  thrown  into  a  hat, 
carried  aromid  by  a  j^^  who  in  turn  handed  each  to  the 

2* 


m 


4 


Riff' 


Ui 


ill 

M' 

ft: 

"i   ' » 


r 


ilr 

if 


M. 


■  ,1. 


1 


u 


AWFUL     DISCLOSURES. 


bishop,  by  whicli  ho  learnt  the  name  of  each  of  us,  and  applied 
a  little  of  the  oil  to  our  foreheads.  This  was  immediately 
rubbed  oft'  by  a  priest  with  a  bit  of  cloth,  quite  rouglily. 

I  went  home  with  some  qualms  of  conscience,  and  often 
thought  with  dread  of  the  following  tale,  which  I  liavo  heard 
told  to  illustrate  the  sinfulness  of  conduct  like  mine. 

A  priest  was  once  travelling,  when,  just  as  lie  was  pat-sing  by 
a  house,  his  horse  fell  on  his  knees,  and  would  not  rise.  His 
rider  dismounted,  and  went  in  to  learn  the  cause  of  so  extraor- 
dinary an  occurrence.  He  found  there  a  woman  near  death,  to 
whom  a  priest  was  trying  to  administer  the  sacrament,  but 
without  success ;  for  every  time  she  attempted  to  swallow  it,  it 
was  thrown  back  out  of  her  mouth  into  the  chalice.  He  per- 
ceived it  was  owing  to  unconfessed  sin,  and  took  away  the  holy 
wafer  from  her:  on  which  his  horse  rose  from  his  knees,  and 
he  pursued  his  journey. 

I  often  remembered  also  that  I  had  been  told,  that  we  shall 
bave  as  many  devils  biting  us,  if  we  go  to  hell,  as  we  have 
unconfessed  sins  on  our  consciences. 

I  was  required  to  devote  myself  for  about  a  year,  to  the  study 
of  the  prayers  and  the  practice  of  the  ceremonies  necessary  on 
the  reception  of  a  nun.  This  I  found  a  very  tedious  duty ;  but 
as  I  was  released  in  a  great  degree  from  the  daily  labors  usu- 
ally demanded  of  novices,  I  felt  little  disposition  to  complain. 


BLACK     NUN  N  ER Y. 


u 


■■,.'1. 
■   111 


CHAPTER  VI.. 

Taking  the  Veil— Interview  afterward  with  the  Superior— Surprise  and  horror  at  her 
Disclosure — Resolution  to  Submit. 

I  WAS  introduced  into  the  Superior's  room  on  the  evening  pre- 
ceding the  day  on  wliich  I  was  to  take  the  veil,  to  have  an  in- 
terview with  the  Bishop.  The  Superior  was  present,  and  the 
interview  lasted  about  half  an  hour.  The  Bishop  on  this  as  oa 
other  occasions  appeared  to  me  habitually  rough  in  his  manners. 
His  address  was  by  no  means  prepossessing. 

Before  I  took  the  veil,  I  was  ornamented  for  the  ceremony, 
and  was  clothed  in  a  rich  dress  belonging  to  the  Convent,  wliich 
was  used  on  such  occasions ;  and  placed  not  far  from  the  altar 
in  the  ciiapel,  in  the  view  of  a  number  of  spectators  who  had 
assembled,  perhaps  about  forty.  Taking  the  veil  is  an  affair 
which  occurs  so  frequently  in  Montreal,  that  it  has  long  ceased 
to  be  regarded  as  a  novelty ;  and,  although  notice  had  been 
given  in  the  French  parish  church  as  usual,  only  a  small  audi- 
ence had  assembled,  as  I  have  mentioned. 

Being  well  prepared  with  a  long  training,  and  frequent  re- 
hearsals, for  what  I  was  to  perform,  I  stood ' .  aiting  in  my  large 
flowing  dress  for  the  appearance  of  the  Ijishop.  He  soon  pre- 
sented himself,  entering  by  the  door  behind  the  altar;  I  then 
threw  myself  at  his  feet,  and  asked  him  to  confer  upon  me  the 
veil.  He  expressed  his  consent,  and  threw  it  over  my  head, 
saying,  "  Receive  the  veil,  O  thou  spouse  of  Jesus  Christ ;"  and 
then  turning  to  the  Superior,  I  threw  myself  prostrate  at  her 
feet,  according  to  my  instructions,  repeating  what  I  had  before 
done  at  rehearsals,  and  made  a  movement  as  if  to  kiss  her  feet. 
This  she  prevented,  or  appeared  to  prevent,  catching  me  by  a 
sudden  motion  of  her  hand,  and  granted  my  request.  I  then 
kneeled  befor')  the  HoMHicrament,  that  is,  a  very  large  roond 


iMtj^i 


*  it 


irii 


% 


III 


86 


AWTUL    DISCLOSURES 


wafer  held  by  the  Bishop  between  his  fore-tinger  and  thumbi 
and  made  my  vows. 

This  wafer  I  had  been  taught  to  regard  with  the  utmost  vene- 
ration, as  the  real  body  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  presence  of  which 
made  the  vows  uttered  before  it  binding  in  the  most  solemn 
manner. 

After  taking  the  vows,  I  proceeded  to  a  small  apartment  be- 
hind the  altar,  accompanied  by  four  nuns,  where  was  a  coflBn 
prepared  with  my  nun  name  engraven  upon  it : 


"Saint  Eustace." 


My  companions  lifted  it  by  four  handles  attached  to  it,  while 
I  threw  off  my  dress,  and  put  on  that  of  a  nuu  of  Sceur  Bour- 
geoise ;  and  then  w^  all  returned  to  the  chapel.  I  proceeded 
first,  and  was  followed  by  the  four  nuns ;  the  Bishop  naming  a 
number  of  worldly  pleasures  in  rapid  succession,  in  reply  to 
which  I  as  rapidly  repeated — "  Je  renonce,  je  renonce,  je  re- 
nonce  " — [I  renounce,  I  renounce,  I  renounce.] 

The  coffin  was  then  placed  in  front  of  the  altar,  and  I  ad- 
Tanced  to  lay  myself  in  it.  This  coffin  was  to  be  deposited,  after 
the  ceremony,  in  an  outhouse,  to  be  preserved  until  my  death, 
when  it  was  to  receive  my  corpse.  There  were  reflections 
which  I  naturally  made  at  the  time,  but  I  stepped  in,  extended 
myself,  and  lay  still.  A  pillow  had  been  placed  at  the  head  of 
the  coffin,  to  support  my  head  in  a  comfortable  position.  A 
large,  thick  black  cloth  was  then  spread  over  me,  and  the 
chanting  of  Latin  hymns  immediately  commenced.  My  thoughts 
were  not  the  most  pleasing  during  the  time  I  lay  in  that  situa- 
tion. The  pall,  or  Drap  Mortel,  as  the  cloth  is  called,  had  a 
strong  smell  of  incense,  which  was  always  disagreeable  to  me, 
and  then  proved  almost  suffocating.  I  recollected  also  a  story 
I  had  heard  of  a  novice,  who,  in  taking  the  veil,  lay  down  in 
her  coffin  like  me,  and  was  covered  in  the  same  manner,  but  on 
the  removal  of  the  covering  was  found  dead. 

When  I  was  uncovered,  I  rose,  stepped  out  of  my  coffin,  and 
kneeled.  The  Bishop  then  addressed  these  words  to  the  Supe- 
rior, *'  Take  care  and  keep  pure  andjBptless  this  young  virgin, 


(■ill 


0y. 


BLACK    NUNN  ERT. 


ft 


whom  Christ  has  consecrated  to  himself  this  day."  After  which 
the  music  commenced,  and  Ijere  the  whole  was  finished.  I  then 
proceeded  from  the  chapel,  and  returned  to  the  Superior's  room, 
followed  by  the  other  nuns,  who  walked  two  by  two,  in  their 
customary  manner,  with  their  hands  folded  on  their  breasts,  and 
tlieir  eyes  cast  down  upon  the  floor.  The  nun  wlio  was  to  be 
my  companion  in  future,  then  walked  at  the  end  of  the  proces- 
sion. On  reaching  the  Superior's  door,  they  all  left  me,  and  I 
entered  alone,  and  found  her  with  the  Bishop  and  two  priests. 

The  Superior  now  informed  me,  that  having  taken  the  black 
veil,  it  only  remained  that  I  should  swear  the  three  oaths  cus- 
tomary on  becoming  a  nun ;  and  that  some  explanations  would 
be  necessary  from  her.  I  was  now,  she  told  me,  to  have  access 
to  every  part  of  the  edifice,  even  to  the  cellar,  where  two  of  the 
sisters  were  imprisoned  for  causes  which  she  did  not  mention. 
I  must  be  informed,  that  one  of  my  great  duties  was,  to  obey 
the  priests  in  all  things;  and  this  I  soon  learnt,  to  my  utter 
astonishment  and  horror,  was  to  live  in  the  practice  of  criminal 
intercourse  with  them.  I  expressed  some  of  the  feelings  which 
this  announcement  excited  in  me,  which  came  upon  me  like  a 
flash  of  lightning,  but  the  only  effect  was  to  set  her  arguing 
with  me,  in  favor  of  the  crime,  representing  it  as  a  virtue  accept- 
able to  God,  and  honorable  to  me.  The  priests,  she  said,  wero 
not  situated  like  other  men,  being  forbidden  to  marry ;  while 
they  lived  secluded,  laborious,  and  self-denying  lives  for  our  sal- 
vation. They  might,  indeed,  be  considered  our  saviours,  as 
without  their  services  we  could  not  obtain^  the  pardon  of  sin, 
and  must  go  to  hell.  Now,  it  was  our  solemn  duty,  on  with- 
drawing from  the  world,  to  consecrate  our  lives  to  religion,  to 
practice  every  species  of  self-denial.  "We  could  not  become  too 
humble,  nor  mortify  our  feelings  too  far ;  this  was  to  be  done  by 
opposing  them,  and  acting  contrary  to  them ;  and  what  she  pro- 
posed was,  therefore,  pleasing  in  the  sight  of  God.  I  now  felt 
how  foolish  I  had  been  to  place  myself  in  the  power  of  such  per- 
sons as  were  around  me. 

From  what  she  said  I  could  draw  no  other  conclusion,  but  that 
I  was  required  to  act  like  the  most  abandoned  of  beings,  and  that 
all  my  future  associates  vera  habitually  guilty  of  the  most  hein- 


V' 


■^\  i 


1 


:  t; 


,  ■  If  ■ 

ili: 


'9 


t 


.\  '0 


i 


88 


AWFUL    DISCIiOSURES. 


ous  and  detestable  crimes.  When  I  repeated  my  expressions  of 
surprise  and  liorror,  she  told  me  that  such  feelings  were  very 
common  at  first,  and  tliat  many  other  nuns  had  expressed  them- 
selves as  I  did,  who  had  long  since  changed  their  minds.  She 
even  said,  that  on  her  entrance  into  the  nunnery,  she  had  felt 
like  me. 

Doubts,  she  declared,  were  among  on;-  greatest  enemies.  They 
would  lead  us  to  question  every  point  of  li'ity,  and  induce  us  to 
waver  at  every  step.  They  arose  only  from  remaining  imperfec- 
tion, and  were  always  evidence  of  sin.  Our  only  way  was  to 
dismiss  them  immediately,  repent,  and  confess  them.  They  were 
deadly  sins,  and  would  condemn  us  to  hell,  if  we  should  die  with- 
out confessing  them.  Priests,  she  insisted,  could  not  sin.  It  was 
a  thing  impossible.  Everything  that  they  did,  and  wished,  was 
of  course  right.  She  hoped  I  would  see  the  reasonableness  and 
duty  of  the  oaths  I  was  to  take,  and  be  faithful  to  them. 

She  gave  me  another  piece  of  information  wliich  excited  other 
feelings  in  me,  scarcely  less  dreadful.  Infants  were  sometimes 
born  in  the  convent ;  but  they  were  always  baptized  and  imme- 
diately strangled  I  This  secured  their  everlasting  happiness ;  for 
the  baptism  purified  them  from  all  sinfulness,  and  being  sent  out  of 
the  world  before  they  had  time  to  do  anything  wrong,  they  were 
at  once  admitted  into  hv<iaven.  How  happy,  she  exclaimed,  are 
those  who  secure  immortal  happiness  to  such  little  beings !  Their 
little  souls  would  thank  those  who  kill  their  bodies,  if  they  had 
it  in  their  power  I 

Into  what  a  place,  and  amon^?  what  society,  had  I  been  ad- 
mitted 1  How  differently  did  a  Convent  now  appear  from  what 
I  had  supposed  it  to  be  I  The  holy  women  I  had  always  fancied 
the  nuns  to  be,  the  venerable  Lady  Supex-ior,  what  were  they? 
And  the  priests  of  the  seminary  adjoining,  some  of  whom  in- 
deed I  had  had  reason  to  think  were  base  and  profligate  men, 
what  were  they  all  ?  I  now  learnt  they  were  often  admitted 
into  the  nunnery,  and  allowed  to  indulge  in  the  greatest  crimes, 
which  they  and  others  called  virtues. 

After  having  listened  for  some  time  to  the  Superior  alone,  a 
nnmber  of  the  nuns  were  admitted,  and  took  a  free  part  in  the 


conversation. 


They  concurred  in  everything  which  she  had  told 


)  I 


BLACK     NUNNERY. 


89 


H 

I  ■'■',■ 


me,  and  repeated,  without  any  signs  of  shame  or  compunction, 
things  which  criminated  themselves.  I  must  acknowledge  the 
truth,  and  declaro  that  all  this  had  an  etlect  upon  my  mind.  I 
questioned  whether  I  might  not  ho  in  the  wrong,  and  felt  as  if 
their  rca^'oniiig  might  have  some  just  foundation.  I  had  b^en 
several  years  under  the  tuition  of  Catholics,  and  was  ignorant  of 
the  Scriptures,  and  unaccustomed  to  the  society,  example,  and 
conversation  of  Protestants ;  had  not  heard  any  appeal  to  the 
Bible  as  authority,  but  had  been  taught,  both  by  precept  and 
example,  to  receive  as  truth  everything  said  by  the  priests.  I 
had  not  heard  their  authority  questioned,  nor  anything  said  of 
any  otiier  standard  of  faith  but  their  declarations.  I  had  long 
been  familiar  with  the  corrupt  and  licentious  expressions  which 
some  of  them  use  at  confessions,  and  believed  that  other  women 
were  also.  1  had  no  standard  of  duty  to  lefer  to,  and  no  judg- 
ment of  my  own  which  I  knew  how  to  use,  or  thought  of  using. 

All  around  me  insisted  that  my  doubts  proved  only  my  own 
ignorance  and  sinfulness;  that  tliey  knew  by  experience  they 
would  soon  give  place  to  true  knowledge,  and  an  advance  in  re- 
ligion; and  I  felt  something  like  indecision. 

Still,  there  was  so  much  that  disgusted  me  in  the  discovery  I 
had  now  made,  of  the  debased  characters  around  me,  that  I 
would  most  gladly  have  escaped  from  the  nunnery,  and  never 
returned.  But  that  was  a  thing  not  to  be  thought  of.  I  was  in 
their  power,  and  this  I  deeply  felt,  while  I  thought  there  was  not 
one  among  the  whole  number  of  nuns  to  whom  I  could  look  for 
kindness.  There  was  one,  however,  who  began  to  speak  to  me 
at  length  in  a  tone  that  gained  something  of  my  confidence, — 
the  nun  whom  I  have  mentioned  before  as  distinguished  by  her 
oddity,  Jane  Ray,  who  made  us  so  much  amusement  when  I  was 
a  novice.  Although,  as  I  have  remarked,  there  was  nothing  in 
her  face,  form,  or  manners,  to  give  me  any  pleasure,  she  addressed 
me  with  apparent  friendliness ;  and  while  she  seemed  to  concur 
in  some  things  spoken  by  them,  took  an  opportunity  to  whisper 
a  few  words  in  my  ear,  unheard  by  them,  intimating  that  I  had 
better  comply  witli  everything  the  Superior  desired,  if  I  would 
save  my  life.  I  was  somewhat  alarmed  before,  but  I  now  became 
much  more  so,  and  determined  to  make  no  further  resistance. 


■ 


m 


'm 


ill; 


li: 


..   ! 


40 


AWFUL     DISCLOSURES. 


Tho  Snporior  then  made  me  repeat  the  three,  oaths ;  and  when 
I  had  Bworn  them,  I  was  shown  into  one  of  the  community 
rooms,  tind  remained  some  time  with  tho  nuns,  who  were  re- 
leased from  .their  usual  employments,  and  enjoying  a  recreation 
day,  on  account  of  the  admission  of  a  new  sister.  My  feelings 
during  the  remainder  of  that  day,  I  bhall  not  attempt  to  describe; 
but  pn  >n  to  mention  the  ceremonies  which  touk  place  at  din- 
ner. This  description  may  give  an  idea  of  the  manner  in  which 
we  always  took  our  meals,  although  there  were  some  points  in 
which  the  breakfast  and  supper  were  diflferent. 

At  11  o'clock  the  bell  rung  for  dinner,  and  the  nuns  all  took 
their  places  in  a  double  row,  in  the  same  order  as  that  in  which 
they  left  the  chapel  in  the  morning,  except  that  my  companion 
8nd  myself  were  stationed  at  the  end  of  the  line.  Standing  thus 
for  a  moment,  with  our  hands  placed  one  on  the  other  over  the 
breast,  and  hidden  in  our  large  cuffs,  with  our  heads  bent  for- 
ward, and  eyes  fixed  on  the  floor ;  an  old  nun  who  stood  at  the 
door,  clapped  her  hands  as  a  signal  for  us  to  proceed,  and  the 
procession  moved  on,  while  we  all  commenced  the  repetition  of 
litanies.  We  walked  on  in  this  order,  repeating  all  the  way, 
until  we  reached  the  door  of  the  dining-room,  where  we  were 
divided  into  two  lines ;  those  on  the  right  passing  down  one 
side  of  the  long  table,  and  those  on  the  left  the  other,  till  all 
were  in,  and  each  stopped  in  her  place.  The  plates  were  all 
ranged,  each  with  a  knife,  fork,  and  spoon,  rolled  up  in  a  napkin, 
and  tied  round  with  a  linen  band  marked  with  the  owner's  name. 
My  own  plate,  knife,  fork,  &c.,  were  prepared  like  the  rest,  and 
on  the  band  around  them  I  found  my  new  name  written : — 
"Saint  Eustace." 

There  we  stood  till  all  had  concluded  the  litany ;  when  the 
old  nun  who  had  taken  her  place  at  the  head  of  the  table  next 
the  door,  said  the  prayer  before  meat,  beginning  "  Benedicite," 
and  we  sat  down.  I  do  not  remember  of  what  our  dinner  con- 
sisted, but  we  usually  had  soup  and  some  plain  dish  of  meat, 
the  remains  of  which  were  occasionally  served  up  at  supper  as  a 
fricassee.  One  of  the  nuns  who  had  been  appointed  to  read  that 
day,  rose  and  began  to  lecture  from  a  book  put  into  her  hands 
by  the  Superior,  while  tho  rest  of  us  ate  in  perfect  silence.    The 


BLACK     NUNNERY 


41 


nnn  who  reads  ^luring  dinner  stays  afterward  to  dine.  As  fast 
OS  we  finished,  our  meals,  each  rolled  up  her  knife,  fork,  nnd 
spoon  in  lier  napkin,  and  bound  them  togetlier  with  the  band, 
and  set  with  hands  folded.  The  old  nun  then  said  a  short  prayer, 
rose,  stepped  a  little  aside,  clapped  her  hands,  and  we  mnrelied 
towards  the  door,  bowing  as  Ave  passed  before  a  little  chapel  or 
glass  box,  containing  a  wax  image  of  the  infant  Jesus. 

Nothing  important  occurred  until  late  in  the  afternoon,  Avlien, 
as  I  was  sitting  in  tlie  community-room,  Father  Dufr^sne  called 
me  out,  saying  he  wished  to  speak  with  me.  I  feared  what  was 
liis  intention  ;  but  I  dared  not  disobey.  In  a  private  apartment, 
he  treated  me  in  a  brutal  manner ;  and  from  two  other  priests 
I  afterward  received  similar  usage  that  evening.  Father  Du- 
fr^sne  afterward  appeared  again ;  and  I  was  compelled  to  re- 
main in  company  with  him  until  morning. 

I  am  assured  that  the  conduct  of  the  priests  in  our  Convent 
has  never  been  exposed,  and  is  not  imagined  by  the  people  of 
the  United  States.  This  induces  me  to  say  what  I  do,  notwith- 
standing the  strong  reasons  I  have  to  let  it  remain  unknown. 
Still,  I  cannot  force  mvself  to  speak  on  such  subjects  except  in 
the  most  brief  manner. 


'  ..11 


ill' 


'f 


1- 


'  > 


MS 
i 


1 


lis 


1 


(  m'j 


m 


42 


AWFUL    DISCLOSURES. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

Daily  Geremonief— Jane  Bay  among  the  Nuns. 

On  Thursday  morning,  the  bell  rung  at  lialf-past  six  to  awaken 
us.  The  old  nuu  who  was  acting  as  night-watch  immediately 
spoke  aloud : 

"Voici  le  Seigneur  qui  vient."  (Behold  the  Lord  cometh.) 
The  nuns  all  responded : 

^^  Allons-y  devant  lui."    (Let  us  go  and  meet  him.) 

We  then  rose  immediately,  and  dressed  as  expeditiously  as 
possible,  stepping  into  the  passuge-way  at  the  foot  of  our  beds 
as  soon  as  we  were  ready,  and  taking  places  each  beside  her 
opposite  companion.  Thus  we  were  soon  drawn  up  in  a  double 
row  the  wholejength  of  the  room,  with  our  hands  folded  across 
our  breasts,  and  concealed  in  the  broad  cuffs  of  our  sleeves.  Not 
a  word  was  uttered.  When  the  signal  was  given,  we  all  pro- 
ceeded to  the  community-room,  which  is  spacious^,  and  took  our 
places  in  rows  facing  the  entrance,  near  which  the  Superior  was 
seated  in  a  vergiere,  or  large  chair. 

We  first  repeated,  "Au  nom  du  Pere,  du  Fils,  et  du  Saint 
Esprit — Air.si  soit  il."  (In  the  name  of  the  Father,  the  Son,  and 
the  Holy  Ghost — Amen.) 

We  then  kneeled  and  kissed  the  floor;  then,  still  on  onr  knees, 
we  said  a  very  long  prayer,  begining:  Divin  Jesiis,  Saiiveur  de 
mon  Ame,  (Divine  Jesus,  Saviour  of  my  soul).  Then  came  the 
Lord's  prayer,  three  Hail  Marys,  four  creeds,  and  five  confes- 
sions (coi  fesse  t\  Dieu). 

Next  we  repeated  the  ten  commandments.  Then  we  repeated 
the  Acts  of  Faith,  and  a  prayer  to  the  Virgin  in  Latin,  (which, 
like  every  thing  else  in  Latin,  I  never  understood  a  word  of.) 
Next  we  said  the  litanies  of  the  holy  name  of  Jesus,  in  Latin, 


BLACK     NUNNERY. 


48 


which  was  afterward  to  be  repeated  several  times  in  the  course 
of  the  day.  Then  cune  the  prayer  for  the  beginning  of  the  day ; 
then  bending  down,  we  commenced  the  Orison  Mental  (or  Mental 
Orison),  wliicii  lasted  about  an  hour  and  a  half. 

Tliis  exorcise  was  considered  peculiarly  solemn.  We  were 
told  in  the  nunnery  that  a  certain  saint  was  saved  by  the  use  of 
it,  as  ho  never  omitted  it.  It  consists  of  several  parts:  First, 
the  Superior  read  to  us  a  chapter  from  a  book,  which  occupied 
five  miinites.  Then  profound  silence  prevailed  for  fifteen  min- 
utes,'during  wliich  we  were  meditating  upon  it.  Then  she  read 
another  chapter  of  equal  length,  on  a  different  subject,  and  we 
meditated  upon  that  another  quarter  of  an  hour;  and  after  a 
third  reading  and  meditation,  we  finished  the  exercise  with 
a  prayer,  called  an  act  of  contrition,  in  which  we  asked  forgive- 
ness for  the  sins  committed  during  the  Orison. 

During  this  hour  and  a  half  I  became  very  weary,  having 
before  been  kneeling  for  some  time,  and  having  then  to  sit  ia 
another  position  more  uncomfortable,  with  my  feet  under  me, 
my  hands  clasped,  and  my  body  bent  humbly  forward,  with  my 
head  bowed  down. 

When  the  Orison  was  over,  we  all  rose  to  the  upright  kneel- 
ing posture,  and  repeated  several  prayers,  and  the  litanies  of  the 
providences,  "  providence  de  Dieu,"  &c. ;  then  followed  a  number 
of  Latin  prayers,  which  we  repeated  on  the  way  to  mass,  for  in 
the  nunnery  we  had  mass  daily. 

When  mass  was  over  we  proceeded  in  our  usual  order  to  the 
eating-room  to  breakfast,  practising  the  same  forms  which  I  liavo 
described  at  dinner.  Having  made  our  meal  in  silence,  we 
repeated  the  litanies  of  tlie  "holy  name  of  Jesus"  as  we  pro- 
ceeded to  the  community-room;  and  such  as  had  not  finished 
them  on  their  arrival,  threw  themselves  upon  their  knees,  and 
remained  there  until  they  had  gone  through  with  them,  and  then 
kissing  the  floor,  rose  again. 

At  nine  o'clock  comnienced  the  lecture,  which  was  read  by  a 
nun  appointed  to  perform  that  duty  that  day ;  all  the  rest  of  us 
in  tiie  room  being  engaged  in  work. 

The  nuns  were  at  this  time  distributed  in  different  community- 
rooms,  at  different  kinds  of  work,  and  in  each  were  listening  to 


1 

m 

y^. 

i 

'i 

t%- 


\        ! 


\     i 


,   ,     1! 


1'. 

II 


it 


i ' 


!i^ 


' 


h  ,  i  ■ 


i^H'l 


44 


AWFUL    DISCLOSURES 


a  lecture.  Tliis  exercise  continned  until  ten  o'clock,  when  the 
recreaiion-bell  rang.  "We  still  continued  our  work,  but  the  nuns 
began  to  converse  "with  each  other,  on  subjects  permitted  by  the 
rules  in  the  hearing  of  the  old  nuns,  one  of  whom  was  seated  in 
each  of  the  groups. 

At  half-past  ten  the  silence  bell  rang,  and  then  conversation 
instantly  ceased,  and  the  recitation  of  some  Latin  prayers  com- 
menced, which  continued  half  an  hour. 

At  eleven  o'clock  the  dinner-bell  rang,  and  then  we  proceeded 
to  the  dining-room,  and  went  through  the  forms  and  ceremonies 
of  the  preceding  day.  We  proceeded  two  by  two.  The  old  nun 
who  had  the  command  of  us,  clapped  her  hands  as  the  first  cou- 
ple reached  the  door,  when  we  stopped.  The  first  two  dipped 
their  fingers  into  the  font,  touched  the  holy  water  to  the  breast, 
forehead,  and  each  side,  thus  forming  a  cross,  said,  "  In  the 
name  of  the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Gliost,  Amen,"  and  then 
walked  on  to  the  dining-room,  repeating  the  litanies.  The  rest 
followed  their  example.  On  reaching  the  door  the  couples 
divided,  and  the  two  rows  of  nuns  marching  up,  stopped  and 
faced  the  table  against  their  plates.  There  we  stood,  repeating 
the  close  of  the  litany  aloud.    The  old  nun  then  pronounced 

"  Benedioite," 

and  we  sat  down.  One  of  our  number  began  to  read  a  lecture, 
which  continned  during  the  wliole  meal :  she  stays  to  eat  after 
the  rest  have  retired.  "When  we  had  dined,  each  of  us  folded 
up  her  napkin,  and  again  folded  her  hands.  The  old  nun  then 
repeated  a  short  prayer  in  French,  and  stepping  aside  from  the 
head  of  the  table,  let  us  pass  out  as  we  came  in.  Each  of  us 
bowed  in  passing  the  little  chapel  near  the  door,  which  is  a  glass 
case,  containing  a  waxen  figure  of  the  infant  Jesus.  "When  we 
reached  the  community-room  we  took  our  places  in  rows,  and 
kneeled  upon  the  floor,  while  a  nun  read  aloud,  "  Douleurs  de 
notre  Sainte  Mariq,"  (the  sorrows  of  our  holy  Mary.)  At  the 
end  of  each  verse  we  responded  "Ave  Maria."  "We  then  re- 
peated again  the  litanies  of  the  Providences,  and  the 

"Bbnis,"&o. 


*■'.■•  ■ 

1.  w'i 


* 


BLACK    NUNNERY. 


45 


1,"  and  then 


m^i 


Then  -we  kissed  the  floor,  and  rising,  took  onr  work,  with  leave 
to  converse  on  permitted  subjects ;  that  is  what  is  called  reereU' 
Hon  till  one  o'clock.  We  then  began  to  repeat  litanies,  one  at  a 
time  in  succession,  still  engaged  at  sewing,  for  an  hour. 

At  two  o'clock  commenced  the  afternoon  lectures,  which 
lasted  till  near  three.  At  that  hour  on<i  of  the  nuns  stood  up  in 
the  middle  of  the  room,  and  asked  each  of  us  a  question  out  of 
the  catechism;  and  such  as  were  unable  to  answer  correctly, 
were  obliged  to  kneel  down,  until  that  exercise  was  concluded, 
upon  as  many  dry  peas  as  there  were  verses  in  the  chapter  out 
of  which  they  were  questioned.  This  seems  like  a  penance  of 
no  great  importance;  but  I  have  sometimes  kneeled  on  peas 
until  I  suffered  great  inconvenience,  and  even  pain.  It  soon 
makes  one  feel  as  if  needles  were  running  through  the  skin : 
whoever  thinks  it  a  trifle,  had  better  try  it. 

At  four  o'clock  recreation  commenced,  when  we  were  allowed, 
as  usual,  to  speak  to  each  other,  while  at  work. 

At  half-past  four  we  began  to  repeat  prayers  in  Latin,  while 
we  worked,  and  concluded  about  five  o'clock,  when  we  com- 
menced repeating  the  "prayers  for  the  examination  of  con- 
science," the  "  prayer  after  confession,"  the  "  prayer  before  sa- 
crament," and  the  "  prayer  after  sacrament."  Thus  we  continued 
our  work  until  dark,  when  we  laid  it  aside,  and  began  to  go  over 
the  same  prayers  which  we  had  repeated  in  the  morning,  with 
the  exception  of  the  orison  mental ;  instead  of  that  long  exercise, 
we  examined  our  consciences,  to  determine  whether  we  had 
performed  the  resolution  we  had  made  in  the  morning ;  and 
such  as  had  kept  it,  repeated  an  "  acte  de  joie,"  or  expression  of 
gratitude ;  while  such  as  had  not,  said  an  "  acte  de  contrition." 

"When  the  prayers  were  concluded,  any  nun  who  had  been 
disobedient  in  the  day,  knelt  and  asked  pardon  of  the  Superior 
and  her  companions  "  for  the  scandal  she  had  caused  them ;" 
and  then  requested  the  Superior  to  give  her  a  penance  to  per- 
form. "When  all  the  penances  had  been  imposed,  we  all  pro- 
ceeded to  the  eating-room  to  supper,  repeating  litanies  on  the 
way. 

At  supper  the  ceremonies  were  the  same  as  at  dinner,  except 
that  there  was  no  lecture  read.    "We  ate  in  silence,  and  went 


! ; 


■  'I. 


I 


ijii' 
my 


i  ' 


[ 


!  ! 


^illlll 

1 

ill 


III! 

■il!. 


'Tr  jr* 


46 


AWFUL    DISCLOSURES. 


out  bowing  to  the  chapello,  and  repeating  litanies.  Returning 
to  the  community-room  which  we  had  left,  we  had  more  prayers 
to  repeat,  which  are  called  La  couronne,  (crown,)  which  consists 
of  the  following  parts : 

1st,  Four  Paters, 
2d,  Four  Ave  Marias, 
8d,  Four  Gloria  Patris, 
4th,  Benis,  &c. 

At  the  close  of  these  we  kissed  the  floor ;  after  which  we  had 
recreation  till  half-past  eight  o'clock,  being  allowed  to  converse 
on  permitted  subjects,  but  closely  watched,  and  not  allowed  to 
sit  in  corners. 

At  half-past  eight  a  bell  was  rung,  and  a  chapter  was  read  to 
us,  in  a  book  of  meditations,  to  employ  our  minds  upon  during 
our  waking  houi*s  at  night. 

Standing  near  the  door,  we  dipped  our  fingers  in  the  holy 
water,  crossed  and  blessed  ourselves,  and  proceeded  up  to  the 
sleeping-room,  in  the  usual  order,  two  by  two.  When  we  had 
got  into  bed,  we  repeated  a  prayer  beginning  with 

"  Men  Dieu,  je  vous  donne  raon  coeur,"  '^ 

"My  God,  I  give  you  my  heart;" 

and  then  an  old  nun,  bringing  some  holy  water,  sprinkled  it  on 
our  beds  to  drive  away  the  devil,  while  we  took  some  and 
crossed  ourselves  again. 

At  nine  o'clock  the  bell  rung,  and  all  who  were  awake  re- 
peated a  prayer,  called  the  offraude ;  those  who  were  asleep 
were  considered  as  excused. 

After  my  admission  among  the  nuns,  I  had  more  opportunity 
than  before,  to  observe  the  conduct  of  mad  Jane  Ray.  She  be- 
liaved  quite  difl^erently  from  the  rest,  and  with  a  degree  of  levity 
irreconcilable  with  the  rules.  She  was,  as  I  have  described  her, 
a  large  woman,  with  nothing  beautiful  or  attractive  in  her  face, 
form,  or  manners ;  careless  in  her  dress,  and  of  a  restless  dispo- 
sition, which  prevented  her  from  steadily  applying  herself  to 
any  thing  for  any  length  of  time,  and  kept  her  roving  about,  and 
almost  perpetually  talking  to  somebody  or  other.    It  would  be 


^4 


BLACK     NUNNERY. 


41 


very  difficult  to  give  an  accurate  description  of  this  singular 
woman ;  dressed  in  the  p^fiin  garments  of  the  nun?,  bound  by 
the  same  vows,  and  accustomed  to  the  same  life,  resembling 
them  in  nothing  else,  and  frequently  interrupting  all  their  em- 
ployments. She  was  apparently  almost  always  studying  or  pur- 
suing some  odd  fancy ;  now  rising  from  sewing,  to  walk  up  and 
down,  or  straying  in  from  another  apartment,  looking  about, 
addressing  some  of  us,  and  passing  out  again,  or  saying  some- 
thing to  make  us  laugh,  in  periods  of  the  most  profound  silence. 
But  what  showed  that  she  was  no  novelty,  was  the  little  atten- 
tion paid  to  her,  and  the  levity  with  which  she  was  treated  by 
the  old  nuns ;  even  the  Superior  every  day  passed  over  irregu- 
larities in  this  singular  person,  which  she  would  have  punished 
with  penances,  or  at  least  have  met  with  reprimands,  in  any 
other.  From  what  I  saw  of  her,  I  soon  perceived  that  she  be- 
trayed two  distinct  traits  of  character ;  a  kind  disposition  to- 
wards such  as  she  chose  to  prefer,  and  a  pleasure  in  teasing 
those  she  disliked,  or  such  as  had  offended  her. 


■  --m 


I , 


1 


'ij^ 


t^' 


m 


H 


•     \ 


48 


AWFUL     DISCLOSURES 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Description  of  Apartments  in  the  Black  Nunnery,  in  order. — Ist  Floor— 2d  FIoor>- 
The  Founder— Superior's  Management  witli  the  Friends  of  Novices— Religious  Lies 
— Criminality  of  concealing  Sins  at  Confession. 

I  WILL  now  give  from  memory,  a  general  description  of  the 
interior  of  the  Convent  of  Black  nuns,  except  the  few  apartments 
which  I  never  saw.  I  may  be  inaccurate  in  some  things,  as  the 
apartments  and  passages  of  that  spacious  building  are  numerous 
and  various  ;  but  I  am  willing  to  risk  my  credit  for  truth  and 
sincerity  on  the  general  correspondence  between  my  description 
and  things  as  they  are.  And  this  would,  perhaps  be  as  good  a 
case  as  any  by  which  to  test  the  truth  of  my  statements,  were 
it  possible  to  obtain  access  to  the  interior.  It  is  well  known, 
that  none  but  veiled  nuns,  the  bishop,  and  priests,  are  ever  ad- 
mitted ;  and,  of  course,  that  I  cannot  have  seen  what  I  profess 
to  describe,  if  I  have  not  been  a  Black  nun.*  The  priests  who 
read  this  book,  will  acknowledge  to  themselves  the  truth  of  my 
description ;  but  will,  of  course  deny  it  to  the  world,  and  proba- 
bly exert  themselves  to  destroi|^l||pdit.  I  offer  to  every  reader 
the  following  description,  kn^^Hlhat  time  may  possibly  throw 
open  those  secret  recesses,  anMRlow  the  entrance  of  those  who 
can  satisfy  themselves,  with  their  own  eyes,  of  its  truth.  Some 
of  my  declarations  may  be  thought  deficient  in  evidence ;  and 
this  they  must  of  necessity  be  in  the  present  state  of  things. 
But  here  is  a  kind  of  evidence  on  which  I  rely,  as  I  see  how  un- 
questionable and  satisfactory  it  must  prove,  whenever  it  shall  be 
obtained. 

If  the  interior  of  the  Black  Kunnery,  whenever  it  shall  be  ex- 
amined, is  materially  different  from  the  following  description, 

*  I  ought  to  hare  made  an  exception  here,  which  I  may  enlarge  upon  In  futurOi 
Otrtain  other  persona  are  someUmes  admitted. 


~t*  ,* 


upon  In  fatur«i 


BLACK     NUNNERY. 


49 


then  I  cau  claim  no  confidence  of  ray  readers.  If  it  resembles  it, 
they  will,  I  presume,  place  confidence  in  some  of  those  declara- 
tious,  on  whicli  I  may  never  be  corroborated  by  true  and  living 
witnesses. 

I  am  sensible  that  great  changes  may  be  made  in  the  furniture 
of  apartments ;  that  new  walls  may  bo  constructed,  or  old  ones 
removed ;  and  I  have  been  credibly  informed,  that  masons  have 
been  employed  in  the  nunnery  since  I  left  it.  I  well  know,  how- 
ever, that  entire  changes  cannot  be  made;  and  that  enough 
must  remain  as  it  was  to  substantiate  my  description,  whenever 
the  truth  shall  be  known. 

Tlie  First  Story. 

Beginning  at  the  extremity  of  the  right  wing  of  the  Convent, 
towards  Notre  Dame-street,  on  the  first  story,  there  is — 

1st.  The  nuns'  private  chapel,  adjoining  which  is  a  passage 
to  a  small  projection  of  the  building,  extending  from  the  upper 
story  to  the  ground,  with  very  small  windows.  Into  the  pas- 
sage we  were  sometimes  required  to  bring  wood  from  the  yard 
and  pile  it  up  for  use. 

2d.  A  large  community-room,  with  plain  benches  fixed  against 
the  wall  to  sit,  and  lower  ones  in  front  to  place  our  feet  upon. 
There  is  a  fountain  in  the  passage  near  the  chimney  at  the 
farther  end,  for  washing  the  hands  and  face,  with  a  green  cur- 
tain sliding  on  a  rod  before  it.  This  passage  leads  to  tke  old 
nuns'  sleeping-room  on  the  right,  ano^he  Superior's  sleeping- 
room,  just  beyond  it,  as  well  as  to  a  staircasewhich  conducts  to 
the  nuns'  sleeping-room,  or  dortoir,  above.  ^LTtlie  end  of  the 
passage  is  a  door  opening  into— 

8d.  The  dining-room  ;  this  is  larger  than  the  community-room, 
and  has  three  long  tables  for  eating,  and  a  chapelle,  or  collection 
of  little  pictures,  a  crucifix,  and  a  small  image  of  the  infant 
Saviour  in  a  glass  case.  This  apartment  has  four  doors,  by  the 
first  of  which  we  are  supposed  to  have  entered,  while  one  opens 
to  a  pantry,  and  the  third  and  fourth  to  the  two  next  apartments. 

4th.  A  large  community-room,  with  tables  for  sewing,  and 
a  staircase  on  the  opposite  left-hand  corner. 

6th-    A  community-room  for  prayer,  used  by  both  nuns  and 

8 


* 


tl.  . 


' 


w 

I 

li 
1 


•ii  I 


!;: 


4 


I 


50 


AWFUL     DISCLOSURES. 


novices.  In  the  farther  riglit-hand  corner  is  a  small  room  par- 
titioned off,  called  the  room  for  the  examination  of  conscience, 
which  I  had  vi.-ited  while  a  novice  by  permission  of  the  Superior, 
and  where  nuns  and  novices  occasionally  resorted  to  reflect  on 
their  character,  usually  in  preparation  for  the  sacrament,  or 
when  they  had  transgressed  some  of  the  rules.  This  little  room 
was  hardly  large  enough  to  contain  half  a  dozen  persons  at  a 
time. 

6th.  Next  beyond  is  a  large  community-room  for  Sundays. 
A  door  leads  to  the  yard,  and  thence  to  a  gate  in  the  wall  on 
the  cross  street. 

7th.  Adjoining  this  is  a  sitting-room,  fronting  on  the  cross 
street,  with  two  windows,  and  a  store-room  on  the  side  opposite 
them.    There  is  but  little  furniture,  and  that  very  plain. 

8th.  From  this  room  a  door  leads  into  what  I  may  call  the 
wax-room,  as  it  contains  many  tigures  in  wax,  not  intended  for 
sale.  There  we  sometimes  used  to  pray,  or  meditate  on  the 
Saviour's  passion.  This  room  projects  from  the  main  building ; 
leaving  it,  you  enter  a  long  passage,  with  cupboards  on  the  right, 
in  which  are  stored  crockery-ware,  knives  and  forks,  and  other 
articles  of  table  furniture,  to  replace  those  worn  out  or  broken — 
all  of  the  plainest  description ;  also,  shovels,  tongs,  &c.  This 
passage  leads  to —  ^ 

9th.  A  corner  room,  with  a  few  benches,  &c.,  and  a  door 
leading  to  a  gate  on.^tthiliitree'^^.  Here  some  of  the  medicines 
were  kept,  and  persons^ere  often  admitted  on  business,  or  to 
obtain  medicineaJwHii  tickets  from  the  priests ;  and  waited  till 


the  Superi^ff^  old  nun  could  be  sent  for.  Beyond  this  room 
we  were  i^^r  allowed  to  go ;  and  I  cannot  speak  from  personal 
knowledge  of  what  came  next. 


*  The  Second  Story. 

Beginning,  as  before,  at  the  western  extremity  of  the  same 
wing,  but  on  the  second  story,  the  farthest  apartment  in  that 
direction  which  I  ever  entered  was — 

1st.  The  nuns'  sleeping-room,  or  dormitory,  which  I  have 
already  described.  Here  is  an  access  to  the  projection  mentioned 
in  speaking  of  the  first  story.    The  stairs  by  which  we  came  up 


BLACK     NUNNERY. 


51 


to  bed  aro  at  tlio  fartlier  end  of  the  room  ;  and  near  tliom  a  cru- 
ciiix  and  font  of  holy  water.  A  door  at  tlio  end  of  tlio  room 
opens  into  a  passage,  with  two  small  rooms,  and  closets  between 
them,  containing  bedclothes.     Next  yon  enter — 

2d.  A  small  community-room,  beyond  which  is  a  passage  with 
a  narrow  staircase,  seldom  used,  which  leads  into  xho  fourth 
community-room,  in  the  first  story.  Following  the  passage  just 
mentioned,  you  enter  by  a  door — 

3d.  A  little  sitting-room,  furnislied  in  the  following  manner : 
with  chairs,  a  sofa,  on  the  north  side,  covered  with  a  red-figured 
cover  and  fringe,  a  table  in  the  middle,  commonly  bearing  one 
or  two  book?,  an  inkstand,  pens,  &c.  At  one  corner  is  a  liitlo 
projection  into  the  room,  caused  by  a  staircase  leading  from 
above  to  the  floor  below,  without  any  communication  with  the 
second  story.  This  room  has  a  door  opening  upon  a  staircase 
leading  down  to  the  yard,  on  the  opposite  side  of  which  is  a  gate 
opening  into  the  cross  street.  By  this  way  the  physician  is 
admitted,  except  when  he  comes  later  than  usual.  "When  he 
comes  in,  he  usually  sits  a  little  while,  until  a  nun  goes  into  the 
adjoining  nuns'  sick-room,  to  see  if  all  is  ready,  and  returns  to 
admit  hira.  After  prescribing  for  the  patients  he  goes  no 
farther,  but  returns  by  the  way  he  enters ;  and  these  two  arc 
the  only  rooms  into  which  he  is  ever  admitted,  except  the  public 
hospital. 

4th.  The  nuns'  sick-room  adjoins  the  little  sitting-room  on  the 
east,  and  has,  I  think,  four  windows  towards  the  north,  with 
beds  ranged  in  two  rows  from  end  to  end,  and  a  few  more  be- 
tween them,  near  the  opposite  extremity.  The  door  from  the 
sitting-room  swings  to  the  left,  and  behind  it  is  a  table,  while  a 
glass  case,  to  the  right,  contains  a  wax  figure  of  the  infan^ 
Saviour,  with  several  sheep.  Near  the  northeastern  corner  ou 
this  room  are  two  doors,  one  of  which  opens  into  a  long  and 
narrow  passage  leading  to  the  head^of  the  great  staircase  that 
conducts  to  the  cross  street.  By  this  passage  the  physician 
sometimes  finds  his  way  to  the  sick-room,  when  he  comes  Inter 
than  usual.  lie  rings  tlie  bell  at  the  gate,  wliich  I  was  told  had 
a  concealed  pull,  known  only  to  him  and  the  prl-ests,  proceeds 
up-stairs  and  through  the  passage,  rapping  three  times  at  tho 


li! 


I  " 


St 


i"  f 


4 


■;il! 


62 


AWFUL     DISCLOSURES. 


'\l 


i 


door  of  the  sick-room,  whicli  is  opened  by  a  nun  in  attendance, 
after  slie  has  given  one  rap  in  rej)!}'.  "When  he  has  visited  hia 
patients,  and  prescribed  for  tlieni,  he  returns  by  the  same  way. 

5th,  Next  beyond  this  sick-room,  is  a  large  unoccupied  apart- 
ment, lialf  divided  by  two  partial  partitions,  whicli  leave  an 
open  space  in  the  middle.  Hero  some  of  the  old  nuns  commonly 
sit  in  the  day-time. 

Gth.  A  door  from  this  apartment  opens  into  anot'her  not 
appropriated  to  any  particular  use,  but  containing  a  table,  where 
medicines  are  sometimes  prepared  by  an  old  nun,  who  is  usually 
found  there.  Passing  through  this  room,  you  enter  a  passage 
with  doors  on  its  four  sides :  that  on  the  left,  which  is  kept 
fastened  on  the  inside,  leads  to  the  staircase  and  gate ;  that  in 
front,  to  private  !^ick-rooms  soon  to  be  described. 

7th.  That  on  the  right  leads  to  another,  appropriated  to  nuns 
suffering  with  the  most  loathsome  disease.  There  were  usually 
a  number  of  straw  mattresses,  in  that  room,  as  I  well  knew, 
*  having  helped  to  carry  them  in  after  the  yard-man  had  filled 
them.  A  door  beyond  enters  into  a  store-room,  which  extends 
also  beyond  this  apartment.  On  the  right,  another  door  opens 
into  another  passage,  crossing  which,  you  enter  by  a  door — 

8th.  A  room  with  a  bed  and  screen  in  one  corner,  on  which 
nuns  were  laid  to  be  examined  before  their  introduction  into  the 
sick-room  last  mentioned.  Another  door,  opposite  the  former, 
opens  into  a  passage,  in  which  is  a  staircase  leading  down. 

9th.  Beyond  this  is  a  spare-room,  sometimes  used  to  store 
apples,  boxes  of  different  things,  &c. 

10th.  Returning  now  to  the  passage  which  opens  on  one  side 
upon  the  stairs  to  the  gate,  we  enter  the  only  remaining  door, 
■which  leads  into  an  apartment  usually  occupied  by  some  of  the 
old  nuns,  and  frequently  by  the  Superior. 

11th,  aad  12th.  Beypnd  this  are  two  more  sick-rooms,  in  one 
of  which  those  nuns  stky  ^^ho  are  waiting  their  accouchraent, 
and  in  the  other,  those  "V^ho  have  passed  it. 

13th.  The  next  is  a  small  sitting-room,  where  a  priest  waits 
to  baptize  the  infants  previoui^o  their  murder.  A  passage  leads 
from  this  room,  on  the  left,  by  the  doors  of  two  succeeding  apart- 
ments, neither  of  which  have  I  ever  entered. 


BLACK     N  U  X  X  E  U  Y 


53 


14th.  The  first  of  them  is  the  "  lioly  retreat,"  or  room  occu- 
pied hy  the  priests,  while  sutteriug  .tlio  penalty  of  their  licen- 
tiousness. 

15ih.  The  otlier  is  a  sitting-room,  to  which  thoy  have  access. 
IJeyoud  these  the  passage  leads  to  two  rooms,  containing  closots 
for  tlie  storage  of  various  articles,  and  two  others  where  persons 
arc  received  who  come  on  business. 

The  public  hospitals  succeed,  and  extend  a  considerable  dis- 
tance, I  believe,  to  the  extremity  of  the  building.  By  a  public 
entrance  in  that  part,  priests  often  come  into  the  nunnery ;  and 
I  have  often  seen  some  of  them  thereabouts,  wlio  must  liave 
entered  by  that  way.  Indeed,  priests  often  get  into  the  "  holy 
retreat"  without  exposing  themselves  to  the  view  of  persons  in 
other  parts  of  the  Convent,  and  have  been  first  known  to  be 
there,  by  the  yard-man  being  sent  to  the  Seminary  for  their 
clothes. 

Tlie  Congregational  Nunnery  was  founded  by  a  nun  called  Sis- 
ter Bourgeoise.  She  taught  a  school  in  Montreal,  and  left  property 
for  the  foundatior  of  a  Convent.  Her  body  is  buried,  and  her 
heart  is  kept,  under  the  nunnery,  in  an  iron  chest,  which  has 
been  shown  to  me,  with  the  assurance  that  it  continues  in  per- 
fect preservation,  although  she  has  been  dead  more  than  one 
hundred  and  fifty  years.  In  the  chapel  is  the  following  inscrip- 
tion :  "  Soeur  Bourgeoise,  Fondatrice  du  Convent" — Sister  Bour- 
geoise, Founder  of  the  Convent. 

Nothing  was  more  common  than  for  the  Superior  to  step  has- 
tily into  our  community-rooms,  while  numbers  of  us  were  assem- 
bled there,  and  hastily  communicate  her  wishes  in  words  like 
these  : — 

"  Here  are  the  parents  of  such  a  novice  :  come  with  me,  and 
bear  me  out  in  this  story,"  She  would  then  mention  the  out- 
lines of  a  tissue  of  falsehoods,  she  had  just  invented,  that  we 
might  be  prepared  to  fabricate  circumstances,  and  throw  in  what- 
ever else  might  favor  the  deception.  This  was  justified,  and 
indeed  most  highly  commended,  by  the  system  of  faith  in  which 
we  were  instructed. 

It  was  a  common  remark  made  at  the  initiation  of  a  new  nun 
into  the  Bhick  nun  department,  that  is,  to  receive  the  black  veil, 


^  i . 


m 


1 1 


M' 


'I 


lli^ 


!     i 


•i: 


1 1  : 


If    'I 


hi 


<    ■< 


64 


AWFUL     DISCLOSURES. 


that  tho  introduction  of  ftnotlier  novice  into  the  Convent  as  n 
veiled  nun,  caused  tho  introduction  of  a  veiled  nun  into  lieiiven 
as  a  saint,  Avliich  was  ou  account  of  tlio  sin.!j,ul;ir  disappeuranco 
of  Bonjo  of  the  older  nuns  at  tho  entrance  of  new  ones  1 

To  witness  tho  scenes  which  often  occurred  between  us  and 
strangers,  would  have  struck  a  person  very  powerfully,  if  ho 
had  known  how  truth  was  set  at  naught.  The  Superior,  with 
a  .'^crious  and  dignified  air,  and  a  pleasant  voice  and  asi>ecr,  would 
coninienco  a  recital  of  tiling;*  most  favorable  to  the  character 
of  the  absent  novice,  and  representing  her  as  equally  fond  of  her 
situation,  and  beloved  by  the  other  inmates.  The  tale  told  by 
the  Superior,  whatever  it  was,  however  unheard  before,  might 
hare  been  any  of  her  statements,  was  then  attested  by  us,  wlio, 
in  everyway  we  could  think  of,  endeavored  to  confirm  her  decla- 
rations, beyond  the  reach  of  doubt. 

Sometimes  the  Superior  would  intrust  the  management  of  such 
a  case  to  some  of  the  nuns,  whether  to  habituate  us  to  the  prac- 
tice in  which  she  was  so  highly  accomplished,  or  to  relieve  her- 
self of  what  would  have  been  a  serious  burden  to  most  other 
persons,  or  to  ascertain  whetljer  she  could  depend  upon  us,  or 
all  together,  I  cannot  tell.  Often,  however,  have  I  seen  her 
throw  open  a  door,  and  say,  in  a  hurried  manner,  ''Who  can 
tell  the  best  story  ?" 

One  point,  on  which  we  received  frequent  and  particular 
instructions  was,  the  nature  of  falsehoods.  On  tiiis  subject  I 
have  heard  many  a  speech,  I  had  almost  said  many  a  sermon ; 
and  I  was  led  to  believe  that  it  was  one  of  great  importance, 
one  on  which  it  was  a  duty  to  be  well  informed,  as  well  as  to 
act.  "What!"  exclaimed  a  priest  one  day — "  what,  a  nun  of 
your  age,  and  not  know  the  difference  between  a  wicked  and  a 
religious  lie  1" 

He  then  went  on,  as  had  been  done  many  times  previously 
in  my  hearing,  to  ?how  the  essential  difference  between  the  two 
different  kinds  of  falsehoods.  A  lie  told  merely  for  the  injury 
of  another,  for  our  own  interest  alone,  or  for  no  object  at  all,  he 
painted  as  a  sin  V;^orthy  of  penance.  But  a  lie  told  for  the  good 
of  tho  church  or  Convent,  was  meritorious,  and  of  course  the 
telling  of  it  a  duty.    And  of  this  class  of  lies  ther^  were  many 


BLACK     NUNNERY. 


55 


varieties  and  shades.  This  doctrine  lias  been  inculcated  on  me 
and  my  companions  in  the  nunnery,  more  times  than  1  can  enu- 
nicrate  :  and  to  say  that  it  was  generally  received,  would  bo  to 
tell  a  part  of  the  truth.  We  otten  saw  the  practice  of  it,  and 
were  Irc'iuently  made  to  take  part  in  it.  Whenever  anything 
which  the  Superior  thought  important,  could  be  most  conve- 
niently ftcconiplished  by  falsehood,  she  resorted  to  it  without 
scruple. 

Tiiere  was  a  class  of  cases  ia  which  she  more  frequently  relied 
on  deception  than  any  other. 

The  friends  of  the  novices  frequently  applied  at  the  Convent 
to  see  them,  or  at  least  to  inquire  after  their  welfare.  It  was 
common  for  tiiem  to  be  polit< 'y  refused  an  1  .terview,  on  some 
account  or  other,  generally  a  niere  i-ietex . ;  and  then  the  Supe- 
rior usually  sought  to  make  as  favouiable  m  impression  as  possi- 
ble on  the  visitors.  Sometimes  ohe  won'  I  make  v  •  a  sLi  ry  on  the 
spot,  and  tell  the  strangers;  requiring-  some  of  :  to  confirm  it, 
in  the  most  convincing  way  we  could. 

At  other  times  she  would  prefer  to  ::i  "i.e  over  to  n.  'he  task 
of  deceiving,  aud  we  were  couiraem  ed  ij  proportioa  to  o\!r 
ingenuity  and  success. 

Some  nun  usually  showed  her  submission,  by  immediately 
stepping  forward.  She  would  then  add,  perhaps,  that  the  pa- 
rents of  such  a  novice,  whom  she  nai.td,  were  in  waiting,  and 
it  was  necessary  that  they  should  be  told  such,  and  such,  and 
such  things.  To  perform  so  diftcult  a  task  well,  was  consid- 
ered a  difticult  duty,  and  it  was  one  of  the  most  certain  ways  to 
gain  the  favour  of  the  Superior.  Whoever  volunteered  to  make 
a  story  on  the  spot,  was  sen.  1'  ^mediately  to  tell  it,  and  the  other 
nuns  present  were  hurried  Cil  with  her  under  strict  injunctions 
to  uphold  her  in  every  thing  she  might  state.  The  Superior,  as 
there  was  every  reason  lo  believe,  on  all  such  occasions,  when 
she  did  not  herself  avpoar,  hastened  to  the  apartment  adjoining 
that  in  which  the  nuns  were  going,  there  to  listen  through  the 
thin  partith;n,  to  hear  whether  all  performed  their  parts  aright. 
It  was  not  uncommon  for  her  to  go  rather  further,  when  she 
wanted  time  to  give  such  explanations  as  she  could  have  desired. 
She  would  then  enter  abruptly,  ask,  "  Who  can  tell  a  good  story 


11 

i, 

r 

1 

■  t 

1 
1 

1 

i 

i\ 

1 

!i 

;l! 

'i 


fl'i 


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ii5 


I) 


iU 


n 


66 


AWFUL     DISCLOSURES. 


this  morning?"  and  linrry  us  off  -without  a  moment's  delay,  to 
do  our  best  at  a  venture,  without  waiting  for  instructions.  It 
would  bo  curious,  could  a  stranger  from  "  the  wicked  world" 
outside  the  Convent  witness  such  a  scene.  One  of  the  nuns, 
who  felt  in  a  favourable  humour  to  undertake  the  proposed  task, 
ivould  step  promptly  forward,  and  signify  her  readiness  in  the 
usual  way  :  by  a  knowing  wink  of  one  eye,  and  slight  toss  of  the 
head. 

"  Well  go  and  do  the  best  you  can,"  the  superior  would  say ; 
*'  and  all  the  rest  of  you  must  mind  and  swear  to  it."  The  latter 
part  of  the  order,  at  least,  was  always  performed ;  for  in  every 
such  case,  all  the  nuns  present  appeared  as  unanimous  witnesses 
of  everything  that  was  uttered  by  the  spokesman  of  the  day. 

"We  were  constantly  hearing  it  repeated,  that  we  must  never 
again  look  upon  ourselves  as  our  own ;  but  must  remember,  that 
we  were  solemnly  and  irrevocably  devoted  to  God.  Whatever 
was  required  of  us,  we  were  called  upon  to  yield  under  the  most 
solemn  considerations.  I  cannot  speak  on  every  particular  with 
with  equal  freedom :  but  I  wish  my  readers  clearly  to  understand 
the  condition  in  which  we  were  placed,  and  the  means  used  to 
reduce  us  to  what  we  had  to  submit  to.  Not  only  were  we  re- 
quired to  perform  the  several  tasks  imposed  upon  us  at  work, 
prayers,  and  penances,  under  the  idea  that  we  were  performing 
solemn  duties  to  our  Maker,  but  every  thing  else  which  was  re- 
quired of  us,  we  were  constantly  told,  was  something  indispensa- 
ble in  his  sight.  The  priests,  we  admitted  were  the  servants  of 
God,  specially  appointed  by  bis  authority,  to  teach  us  our  duty, 
to  absolve  us  from  sin,  and  to  lead  us  to  heaven.  Without  their 
assistance,  we  had  allowed  we  could  never  enjoy  the  favour  of 
God ;  unless  they  administered  the  sacraments  to  us,  wo  could 
not  enjoy  everlasting  happiness.  Having  consented  to  acknow- 
ledge all  this,  we  had  no  other  objection  to  urge  against  admit- 
ting any  other  demand  that  might  be  made  for  or  by  them.  If 
we  thought  an  act  ever  so  criminal,  the  Superior  would  tell  us 
that  the  priests  acted  under  the  direct  sanction  of  God,  and 
eould  not  sin.  Of  course,  then,  it  could  not  be  wrong  to  comply 
with  any  of  their  requests,  because  they  could  not  demand  any 
thing  but  what  was  right.    On  the  contrary,  to  refuse  to  do  any 


BLACK     NUNNERY 


51 


thing  they  asked,  would  necessarily  be  sinful.  Such  doctrines 
admitted,  and  such  practices  performed,  it  will  not  seem  won- 
derful when  I  mentiori  thflf  we  often  felt  sometiiing  of  their 
preposterous  character. 

Sometimes  we  took  a  pleasure  in  ridiculing  some  of  the  favour- 
ite themes  of  our  teachers  ;  and  I  recollect  one  subject  particu- 
larly, Avhich  at  one  period  atibrded  us  repeated  merriment.  It 
may  seem  irreverent  in  me  to  give  the  account,  but  I  do  it  to 
show  how  things  of  a  solemn  nature  were  sometimes  treated  in 
the  Convent,  by  women  bearing  the  title  of  saints.  A  Canadian 
Novice,  who  spoke  very  broken  English,  one  day  remarked  that 
she  was  performing  some  duty  "  for  the  God."  This  peculiar 
expression  nad  something  ridiculous  to  the  ears  of  some  of  us ; 
and  it  was  soon  repeated  again  and  again,  in  application  to  va- 
rious ceremonies  which  we  bad  to  perform.  Mad  Jane  Ray 
seized  upon  it  with  avidity,  and  with  her  aid.  it  soon  took  the 
place  of  a  by-word  in  conversation,  so  that  we  were  constantly 
reminding  each  other,  that  we  were  doing  this  and  that  thing, 
how  trifling  and  unmeaning  soever,  "  for  the  God."  Nor  did 
we  stop  here  :  when  the  superior  called  upon  us  to  bear  witness 
to  one  of  her  religious  lies,  or  to  fabricate  the  most  spurious  one 
the  time  would  admit ;  to  save  her  the  trouble,  we  were  sure  to 
be  reminded,  on  our  way  to  the  strangers'  room,  that  we  were 
doing  it  "  for  the  God."  And  so  it  was  when  other  things 
were  mentioned — every  thing  which  belonged  to  our  condition, 
was  spoken  of  in  similar  terms. 

I  have  hardly  detained  the  reader  long  enough  on  the  subject, 
to  give  him  a  just  impression  of  the  stress  laid  on  confession.  It 
is  one  of  the  great  points  to  which  our  attention  was  constantly 
directed.  We  were  directed  to  keep  a  strict  and  constant  watch 
over  our  thoughts ;  to  have  continually  before  our  minds  the  ru- 
les of  the  Convent,  to  compare  the  one  with  the  other,  remem- 
ber every  devotion,  and  tell  all,  even  the  smallest,  at  confession, 
either  to  the  Superior  or  to  the  priest.  My  mind  Avas  thus  kept 
in  a  continual  state  of  activity,  which  proved  very  wearisome ; 
and  it  required  the  constant  exertion  of  our  teachers,  to  keep  ns 
up  to  the  practice  they  inculcated. 

Another  tale  recurs  to  me,  of  those  which  were  frequently 

8* 


ll  ! 

fill  I 


I  ; 


!'   ' 


f 


i 


i) 


i 


i 


;! 


11  h 
lit     I 


ml 


it 


68 


AWFUL     DISCLOSURES. 


told  US  to  make  us  feel  the  importance  of  imreserveJ  confession. 
A  nun  of  our  Oonvenr,  who  liad  liidden  some  sin  from  her 
confessor,  died  suddenly,  and  wiffll)ut  any  one  to  confess  lier. 
Her  sisters  asseiiihlod  to  pray  for  the  pence  of  her  soul,  wiien  she 
appeared,  and  informed  them,  that  it  would  be  of  no  use,  but 
rather  troublesome  to  her,  as  her  pardon  was  impossible.*  The 
doctrine  i.-,  that  prayers  made  for  souls  guilty  of  uuconfessed  sin, 
do  but  sink  tljem  deeper  in  hell ;  and  this  is  the  reason  I  have 
heard  given  fctr  nt)t  praying  for  Protestants. 

Tlie  authority  of  the  prit^sts  in  everything,  and  the  enormity 
of  every  act  which  opposes  it,  were  also  impressed  upon  (?hr 
Diinds,  in  various  ways,  by  our  teachers.  A  "  Father  "  told  us 
the  following  story  one  day  at  catechism. 

A  man  once  died  who  had  failed  to  pay  some  money  which 
the  priest  had  asked  of  him ;  he  was  condemned  to  be  burnt  in 
purgatory  until  he  should  pay  it,  but  had  permission  to  corao 
back  to  this  world,  and  take  a  human  body  to  work  in.  He 
made  his  appearance  therefore  again  on  earth,  and  liired  himself 
to  a  rich  man  as  a  labourer.  Ho  worked  all  day  with  the  fire 
burning  in  him,  unseen  by  other  people ;  but  while  he  was  in 
bed  that  night,  a  girl  in  an  adjoining  room,  perceiving  the  smell 
of  brimstone,  looked  through  a  crack  in  the  wall,  and  saw  him 
covered  with  flames.  She  informed  his  master,  who  questioned 
him  the  next  morning,  and  found  that  his  hired  man  was  secret- 
ly suifering  the  pains  of  purgatory,  for  neglecting  to  pay  a 
certain  sum  of  money  to  the  priest.  He,  tlierefore  furnished 
him  the  amount  due ;  it  was  paid,  and  the  servant  went  oft* 
immediately  to  heaven.  Tlie  priest  cannot  forgive  any  debt  due 
unto  him,  because  it  is  the  Lord's  estate. 

"While  at  confession,  I  was  urged  to  hide  notliing  from  the 
priest,  and  have  been  told  by  them,  that  they  already  knew  what 
was  in  my  heart,  but  would  not  tell,  because  it  was  necessary 
for  iiic  to  confess  it.  I  really  believed  that  the  priests  were 
acquainted  with  my  thouij;hts ;  and  often  stood  in  great  awe  of 
them.  They  often  told  mo  they  had  power  to  strike  nie  dead  at 
any  moment. 

*  since  the  first  edition,  I  have  found  this  tale  related  in  a  Romish  book,  as  one 
of  very  ancient  date.    It  was  told  to  us  as  having  taken  place  in  our  Convent. 


BLACK     NUNNERY 


59 


CHAPTER  IX. 

• 

Kuns  with  sioillar  names— Sqaw  Nuns — First  visit  to  the  Cellar — Description  of  it 
-Shoclcing  discovery  there— Superior's  Instructions — Private  Signal  of  the 
Priests — Books  Qsed  in  the  Nunnery — Opinions  expressed  of  the  Bible — Specimens 
of  what  I  Icnow  of  the  Scriptures. 

I  FOUND  that  I  had  several  namesakes  among  the  nuns,  for 
tliere  were  two  others  who  ah'eady  bore  my  new  name,  Saint 
Eustace.  This  was  not  a  soUtary  case,  for  there  wei-e  five  Saint 
Marys,  and  three  Saint  Monros,  besides  two  novices  of  that 
name.  Of  my  namesakes  I  have  little  to  say,  for  they  resembled 
most  of  the  nuns;  being  so  much  cut  off  from  intercourse  with 
mf  and  the  other  sisters,  that  I  never  saw  anything  in  them,  nor 
learnt  any  thing  about  them,  worth  mentioning. 

Several  of  my  new  companions  were  squaws,  who  had  taken 
the  veil  at  different  times.  Tliey  were  from  some  of  the  Indiaa 
settlements  in  the  country,  but  were  not  distinguishable  by  any 
sti-iking  habits  of  character  from  other  nuns,  and  were  generally 
not  very  different  in  their  appearance  when  in  their  usual  dress, 
and  engaged  in  their  customary  occupations.  It  was  evident, 
that  they  were  treated  with  much  kindness  and  lenity  by  the 
Superior  and  the  old  nuns;  and  this  I  discovered  was  done  in 
order  to  render  them  as  well  contented  and  happy  in  their  situa- 
tion as  possible.  I  should  have  attributed  the  motives  for  this 
partiality  to  their  wishing  that  they  might  not  influence  others 
to  keep  away,  had  I  not  known  they  were,  like  ourselves,  unable 
to  exert  such  an  influence.  And  therefore,  I  could  not  satisfy 
my  own  mind  why  this  difference  was  made.  Many  of  the 
Inilians  were  remarkably  devoted  to  the  priests,  believing  every 
thing  they  were  taught ;  and  as  it  is  represented  to  be  not  only 
a  high  honor,  but  a  real  advantage  to  a  family,  to  have  one  of 
its  members  become  a  nun,  Indian  parents  will  often  pay  large 
sums  of  money  for  the  admission  of  their  daughters  into  a  cou- 


!     j^ 


itl 


•IK 
'Iii   I 


'\ 


\> 


Iii 


ll 


I: 

■  I". 


•Hi' 


I 


t!   .-1 

4-1 

i 


-A 


m 


m 


p 

It!  I 


r  !:,  'I. 


'.Mllilt 


I  If' 


60 


AWFUL    DISCLOSURES. 


vent.  The  father  of  one  of  the  squaws,  I  was  told,  paid  to  the 
Superior  nearly  her  weight  in  silver  on  her  reception,  although 
ho  was  obliged  to  sell  nearly  all  his  property  to  raise  the  money. 
This  ho  did  voluntarily,  because  he  thought  himself  overpaid  by 
having  the  advantage  of  her  prayers,  self-sacrifices,  &c.  for  him- 
self and  the  remainder  of  his  family.  The  squaws  sometimes 
served  to  amuse  us ;  for  when  we  were  partially  dispirited  or 
gloomy,  the  Superior  would  occasionally  send  them  to  dress 
themselves  in  their  Indian  garments,  which  usually  excited  us  to 
merriment. 

Among  the  squaw  nuns  whom  I  particularly  remember,  was 
one  of  the  Sainte  Uypolites,  not  the  one  who  figured  in  a 
dreadful  scene,  described  in  another  part  of  this  narrative,  but  a 
woman  of  a  far  more  mild  and  humane  character. 

Three  or  four  days  after  my  reception,  the  Superior  sent  me 
into  the  cellar  for  coal ;  and  after  she  had  given  me  directions,  I 
proceeded  down  a  staircase,  with  a  lamp  in  my  hand.  I  soon 
found  myself  ^i  on  the  bare  earth,  in  a  spacious  place,  so  dark, 
that  I  could  not  at  once  distinguish  its  form,  or  size,  but  I 
observed  that  it  had  very  solid  stone  walls,  and  was  arched 
overhead,  at  no  great  elevation.  Following  my  directions,  I 
proceeded  onward  from  the  foot  of  the  stairs,  where  appeared  to 
be  one  end  of  the  cellar.  After  walking  about  fifteen  paces, 
I  passed  three  small  doors,  on  the  right,  fastened  with  large  iron 
bolts  on  the  outside,  pushed  into  posts  of  stone-work,  and  each 
having  a  small  opening  above,  covered  with  a  fine  grating, 
secured  by  a  smaller  bolt.  On  my  left,  were  three  similar  doors, 
resembling  these,  and  placed  opposite  them. 

Beyond  these,  the  space  became  broader ;  the  doors  evidently 
closed  small  compartments,  projecting  from  the  outer  wall  of  the 
cellar.  I  soon  stepped  upon  a  wooden  floor,  on  which  were  heaps 
of  wool,  coarse  linen,  and  other  articles,  apparently  deposited 
there  for  occasional  use.  I  soon  crossed  the  floor,  and  found  the 
bare  earth  again  under  my  feet. 

A  little  farther  on,  I  found  the  cellar  again  contracted  in  size, 
by  a  row  of  closets,  or  smaller  compartments  projecting  on  each 
side.  These  were  closed  by  doors  of  a  difierent  description  from 
the  first,  having  a  simple  fastening,  and  no  opening  through  them. 


BLACK     NUNNERY. 


61 


Just  beyond,  on  the  left  side,  I  passed  a  staircase  leading  np, 
and  then  three  doors,  much  resembling  those  first  described, 
standing  opposite  three  more,  on  the  other  side  of  the  cellar. 
Having  passed  these,  I  found  the  cellar  enlarged  as  before,  and 
here  the  earth  appeared  as  if  mixed  with  some  whitish  substance, 
which  attracted  iny  attention. 

As  I  proceeded,  I  found  the  whiteness  increase,  until  the  sur- 
face looked  almost  like  snow,  and  in  a  short  time  I  observed 
before  me,  a  hole  dug  so  deep  into  the  earth  that  I  could  perceive 
no  bottom.  I  stopped  to  observe  it. — It  was  circular,  perhaps 
twelve  or  fifteen  feet  across;  in  the  middle  of  the  cellar,  and 
unprotected  by  any  kind  of  curb,  so  that  one  might  easily  have 
walked  into  it,  m  the  dark. 

The  white  substance  which  I  had  observed,  was  spread  all 
over  the  surface  around  it ;  and  lay  in  such  quantities  on  all  sides, 
that  it  seemed  as  if  a  great  deal  of  it  must  have  been  thrown 
into  the  hole-  It  immediately  occurred  to  me  that  the  white 
substance  was  lime,  and  that  this  must  be  the  place  where  the 
infants  were  buried,  after  being  murdered,  as  the  Superior  had 
informed  me.  I  knew  that  lime  is  often  used  by  Roman  Catho- 
lics in  burying-places ;  and  in  this  way  I  accounted  for  its  being 
scattered  about  the  spot  in  such  quantities. 

This  was  a  shocking  thought  to  me ;  but  I  can  hardly  tell 
how  it  affected  me,  as  I  had  already  been  prepared  to  expect 
dreadful  things  in  the  Convent,  and  had  undergone  trials  which 
prevented  me  from  feeling  as  I  should  formerly  have  done  in 
similar  circumstances. 

I  passed  the  spot,  therefore,  with  distressing  thoughts,  it  is 
true,  about  the  little  corpses,  which  might  be  in  that  secret  bury- 
ing-place,  but  with  recollections  also  of  the  declarations  which 
I  had  heard,  about  the  favor  done  their  souls  by  sending  them 
straight  to  heaven,  and  the  necessary  virtue  accompanying  all 
the  actions  of  the  priests. 

"Whether  I  noticed  them  or  not,  at  the  time,  there  is  a  window 
or  two  on  each,  nearly  against  the  hole,  in  at  which  are  some- 
times thrown  articles  brought  to  them  from  without,  for  the  use 
of  the  Convent.  Through  the  windows  on  my  right,  which 
opens  into  the  yard,  towards  the  cross  street,  lime  is  received 


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62 


AWFUL     DISCLOSURES 


I 


,  III 
I' 


from   cai't3 ;    and  I  then  saw  a  large  heap  of  it  near  tbo 
place. 

Passing  the  hole,  I  came  to  a  spot  where  was  another  projec- 
tion on  each  side,  with  three  cells  like  those  I  first  described. — 
Beyond  them,  in  another  broad  part  of  tlie  cellar,  were  heaps 
of  vegetables,  and  other  things,  on  tiie  right ;  and  on  the  left  I 
found  the  charcoal  I  was  in  search  of.  This  was  placed  in  a  heap 
against  the  wall,  as  I  might  then  have  observed,  near  a  small 
high  window,  like  the  rest,  at  which  it  is  thrown  in.  Beyond 
this  spot,  at  a  short  distance,  the  cellar  terminated. 

The  top  quite  to  that  point,  is  arched  overhead,  though  at 
different  heights,  for  the  earth  on  the  bottom  is  uneven,  and  in 
some  places  several  feet  higher  than  in  others. 

Not  liking  to  be  alone  in  so  spacious  and  gloomy  a  part  of  the 
Convent,  especially  after  the  discovery  I  had  made,  I  hastened 
to  fill  my  basket  with  coal,  and  to  return.' 

Here  then  I  was,  in  a  place  which  I  had  considered  as  the 
nearest  imitation  of  heaven  to  be  found  on  earth,  among  a  soci- 
ety where  deeds  were  con:,tantly  perpetrated,  which  I  had 
believed  to  be  most  criminal,  and  I  had  now  found  the  place  in 
which  harmless  infants  were  unfeelingly  thrown  out  of  sight, 
after  being  murdered. 

And  yet,  such  is  the  power  of  instruction  and  example,  although 
not  satisfied,  as  many  around  me  seemed  to  be,  that  all  was  * 
righteous  and  proper,  I  sometimes  was  half  inclined  to  believe 
it,  for  the  priests  could  do  no  sin,  and  this  was  done  by  priests. 
•  Among  the  first  instructions  I  received  from  the  Superior, 
were  such  as  prepared  me  to  admit  priests  into  the  nunnery 
from  the  street  at  irregular  hours.  It  is  no  secret,  that  priests 
enter  and  go  out ;  but  if  they  were  to  be  watched  by  any  per- 
son in  St.  Paul's  street  all  day  long,  no  irregularity  might  bo 
suspected ;  and  they  might  be  supposed  to  visit  the  Convent  for 
the  performance  of  religious  ceremonies  merely. 

But  if  a  person  was  near  the  gate  at  midnight,  he  might  some- 
times form  a  difterent  opinion ;  for  when  a  stray  priest  is  shut 
out  of  the  Seminary,  or  is  otherwise  put  to  the  need  of  seeking 
a  lodging,  he  is  always  -ure  of  being  admitted  to  the  black  nun- 
nery.   Nobody  but  a  priest  or  the  physician  can  ring  the  bell  at 


BLACK     NUNNERY 


63 


the  sick-room  door ;  much  less  can  any  others  gain  admittance. 
Tlie  i>ull  of  the  bell  is  entirely  concealed,  somewhere  on  the  out- 
side of  the  gate,  I  have  been  told. 

He  makes  himself  known  a;s  a  priest  by  a  peculiar  kind  of 
hissing  sound,  made  by  tlie  tongue  against  the  teeth,  wliile  they 
are  kept  closed,  and  the  lips  open.  The  nun  within,  wiio  delays 
to  open  the  door,  until  informed  what  kind  of  an  applicant  is 
there,  immediately  recognizes  the  signal,  and  replies  with  two 
inarticulate  sounds,  such  as  are  often  used  instead  of  yes,  with 
the  mouth  closed. 

The  Superior  seemed  to  consider  this  part  of  my  instructions 
quite  important,  and  taught  me  the  signals.  I  had  often  occasion 
to  use  them ;  I  have  been  repeatedly  called  to  the  door,  in  the 
nigh*,  while  watching  in  a  sick  room,  and  on  reaching  it,  heard 
the  short  hissing  sound  I  have  mentioned ;  then,  according  to  my 
standing  orders,  unfastened  the  door,  admitted  the  priest,  who 
was  at  liberty  to  go  where  he  pleased.  I  will  name  Mr.  Bierze, 
from  St.  Denis. 

The  books  used  in  the  nunnery,  at  least  such  as  I  recollect  of 
them,  were  the  following.  Most  of  these  are  lecture  books,  or 
such  as  are  used  by  the  daily  readers,  while  we  were  at  work, 
and  meals.  These  were  all  furnished  by  the  Superior,  out  of  her 
library,  to  which  we  never  had  access.  She  was  informed  when 
we  had  done  with  one  book,  and  then  exchanged  it  for  such 
another  as  she  pleased  to  select. 

Le  Miroir  du  Chretien  (Christian  Mirror),  History  of  Rome, 
History  of  the  Church,  Life  of  Soeur  Bourgeoise,  (the  founder  of 
the  Convent),  in  two  volumes,  L'Ange  Conducteur  (the  Guardian 
Angel),  L'Ange  Ciir^tien  (the  Christian  Angel),  Les  Vies  des 
Saints  (Lives  of  Saints),  in  several  volumes.  Dialogues,  a  volume 
consisting  of  conversations  between  a  Protestant  Doctor,  called 
Dr.  D.  and  a  Catholic  gentleman,  on  the  articles  of  faith,  in 
which,  after  much  ingenious  reasoning,  the  former  was  confuted. 
One  large  book,  the  name  of  which  I  have  forgotten,  occupied 
us  nine  or  ten  months  at  our  lectures,  night  and  morning. 
L'Instruclion  de  la  Jeunesse  (the  Instruction  of  Youth),  contain- 
ing much  about  Convents,  and  the  education  of  persons  in  the 
world,  with  a  great  deal  on  confessions,  &c.    Examen  de  la  Oon- 


H'l 


¥' 


'  <?' 


S.fe' 


64 


AWFUIi     DISCLOSURES. 


science,  (Examination   of  Conscience),  is  a  book   frequently 
used. 

I  may  here  remark,  that  I  never  saw  a  Bible  in  the  Convent 
from  the  day  I  entered  as  a  novice,  until  that  on  which  I 
effected  my  escape.  The  Catholic  New  Testament,  commonly 
called  the  Evaugile,  was  read  to  us  about  three  or  four  times  a 
year.  The  Superior  directed  the  reader  what  passage  to  select ; 
but  we  never  had  it  in  our  hands  to  read  when  we  pleased.  I 
often  heard  the  Protestant  Bible  spoken  of  in  bitter  terms,  as  a 
most  dangerous  book,  and  one  which  never  ought  to  be  in  the 
hands  of  common  people. 


BLACK     NUNNERY. 


65 


i« 


^  ?  ; 


(    f 


CHAPTER  X. 

Manufacture  of  Bread  and  Wax  Candles  carried  on  In  the  Convent— Superstitions 
— Sciipularies — Virgin  Mary'a  pincushion — Her  House— The  Bishop's  power  over 
Are— My  Instructions  to  Novices — Jane  Ray — YaciUution  of  feelings. 

Large  quantities  of  bread  are  made  in  the  Black  Nunnery 
every  week,  for  besides  what  is  necessary  to  feed  the  nuns,  many 
of  the  poor  are  supphed.  When  a  priest  wishes  to  give  a  loaf 
of  bread  to  a  poor  person,  lie  gives  liim  an  order,  which  is  pre- 
sented at  the  Convent.  The  making  of  bread  is  therefore  one 
of  the  most  laborious  employments  in  the  Institution. 

The  manufacture  of  wax  candles  was  another  important 
brancli  of  business  in  the  nunnery.  It  was  carried  on  in  a  small 
room,  on  the  first  floor,  thence  called  the  Ciergerie,  or  wax- 
room  ;  cierge  being  the  French  word  for  a  wax  candle.  I  was 
sometimes  sent  to  read  the  daily  lecture  and  catechitm  to  the 
nuns  employed  there,  but  found  it  a  very  unpleasant  task,  as  the 
smell  rising  from  the  melted  wax  gave  me  a  sickness  at  the 
stomach.  The  employment  "was  considered  rather  unhealthy, 
and  those  were  assigned  to  it  who  had  the  strongest  constitutions. 
The  nuns  who  were  more  commonly  employed  in  that  room, 
were  Sainte  Marie,  Sainte  Catharine,  Sainte  Charlotte,  Sainte 
Francis,  Sainte  Hyacinthe,  Sainte  Hypolite,  and  others.  But 
with  these,  as  with  other  persons  in  the  Convent,  I  was  never 
allowed  to  speak,  except  under  circumstances  before  mentioned. 
I  wai  sent  to  read,  and  was  not  allowed  even  to  answer  the 
most  trivial  question,  if  one  were  asked  me.  Should  a  nun  say, 
"  what  o'clock  is  it  ?"  I  never  should  have  dared  to  reply,  but 
was  required  to  report  her  to  the  Superior. 

Much  stress  was  laid  on  the  sainte  scapulaire^  or  holy  scapu- 
lary.  This  is  a  small  band  of  cloth  or  silk,  formed  and  wrought 
in  a  peculiar  manner,  to  be  tied  aroand  the  neck  by  two  strings, 


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AWFUL    DISCLOSURES. 


fastened  to  the  endH.»  I  have  mado  many  of  tlieni,  having  boeu 
soini'liiiiejj  pet  to  make  tlieni  in  the  Convent.  On  one  side  h 
worked  a  kind  of  double  cross,  (thus,  XX)  and  on  the  other 
I.  11.  S.,  the  meaning  (»f  which  1  do  not  exactly  know.  Such  a 
band  i.s  called  a  scapulary,  and  many  miracles  are  attributed  to 
its  power.  Cliildren  on  first  receiving  the  communion  are  often 
presented  with  scapularies,  which  they  are  taught  to  regard  with 
great  reverence.  We  were  told  of  the  wonders  effected  by  tiieir 
means,  in  the  addresses  made  to  us,  by  priests  at  catecinsm  or 
lectures.  I  will  repeat  one  or  two  of  the  stones  which  occur 
to  mo. 

A  Eoman  Catholic  servant  woman,  who  had  concealed  some 
of  her  sins  at  confession,  acted  so  hypocritical  a  part  as  to  make 
her  mistress  believe  her  a  denote^  or  a  strict  observer  of  her 
duty.  She  even  imposed  upon  her  confessor,  to  such  a  degree, 
that  he  gave  her  a  scapulary.  After  he  had  given  it,  however, 
one  of  the  saints  in  heaven  informed  him  in  a  vision,  tliat  the 
holy  scapulary  must  not  remain  on  the  neck  of  so  great  a  sinner; 
and  thu'  it  nmst  be  restored  to  the  churcli.  Siie  lay  down  that 
night  with  the  scapidary  round  her  tiiroat,  but  in  the  morning 
was  found  dead,  with  her  head  cut  otF,  and  tiie  scapulary  was 
discovered  iu  the  church.  The  belief  was,  that  the  devil  could 
not  endure  to  have  so  holy  a  thing  on  one  of  his  servants,  and 
had  pulled  so  hard  to  get  it  off,  as  to  draw  the  silken  thread  with 
which  it  was  tied,  thr^  ugh  her  neck ;  after  which,  by  some  divine 
power  it  was  restored  to  the  church. 

Another  story  was  as  follows.  A  poor  Roman  Catholic  was 
once  taken  prisoner  by  the  heretics.  He  had  a  saiiite  scapulaire 
on  his  neck,  when  God  seeing  him  in  the  midst  of  his  foes,  took 
it  from  his  neck  by  a  miracle,  and  held  it  up  in  the  air  above 
the  throng  of  heretics;  more  than  one  hundred  of  whom  were 
converted,  by  seeing  it  thus  supernaturally  suspended. 

I  had  been  informed  by  the  Superior,  on  my  first  admission  as 
a  nun,  that  there  was  a  subterraneous  passage,  leading  from  the 
cellar  of  our  Convent  into  that  of  the  Congregational  Nunnery ; 
but,  thougli  I  had  so  often  visited  the  cellar,  I  had  never  seen  it. 
One  day,  after  I  had  been  received  three  or  four  months,  I  was 
sent  to  walk  through  it  upon  my  knees  with  another  nun,  as  a 


n  L  A  C  K     NUNNERY 


Gt 


pctiiincc.  This,  an*!  other  pcnnnccs,  were  soinotimeH  ptit  upon 
ii<.  hy  the  priests,  Avithont  nriy  reason  a-^sij^iied.  The  common 
^\  ;iy,  iiideet!  was  to  tell  iisot'thcsiii  lor  which  a  peiiniice  wns 
iiiiposi'd,  l)nt  wo  were  left  Jiiaiiy  times  to  conjecture.  Kow  and 
tluii  the  priests  would  inform  us  at  a  suhseijuent  confession,  wlien 
he  happened  to  recollect  soniethini?  about  it,  as  I  thought,  and 
not  l)t.eauso  he  reflected,  or  cared  much  about  the  subject. 

The  nun  who  was  with  mo  led  nie  throni^h  the  cellar,  passing 
to  the  riglit  of  the  secret  burying  place,  and  sliowed  me  the 
door  of  the  subterraneous  passage,  which  was  at  the  extremity 
towards  the  Congregational  Nunnery.  The  reasons  why  I  had 
not  noticed  it  before,  I  presume,  were  that  it  was  made  to  shut 
dose  and  even  with  the  wall,  and  all  that  part  of  the  cellar  was 
whitewashed.  The  door,  which  is  of  wood,  and  square,  opens 
wi  h  a  latch  into  a  pa<sngp,  about  four  feet  and  a  half  high. 
"We  immediately  got  n|)on  (»ur  knees,  commenced  saying  the 
jirayers  re(piired,  and  began  to  move  slowly  along  the  dark  and 
narrow  passage.  It  may  be  fifty  or  sixty  feet  in  lengtli ;  when 
we  reached  the  end,  we  opened  a  door,  and  found  ourselves  in 
the  cellar  of  the  Congregational  Ntmnery,  at  some  distance  from 
the  outer  wall ;  for  the  covered  way  is  carried  in  towards  the 
middle  of  the  cellar  by  two  low  partitions  covered  at  the  top. 
By  the  side  of  the  door,  was  placed  a  list  of  names  of  the  Black 
nuns,  with  a  slide,  that  might  be  drawn  over  any  of  them.  TVe 
covered  our  names  in  this  manner,  as  evidence  of  Inivlng  per- 
formed the  duty  assigned  us;  and  then  returned  backwards  on 
om*  knees,  b}'  the  way  we  had  come.  This  penance  I  repeatedly 
performed  afterwards;  and  by  this  way,  as  I  liave  occasion  else- 
where to  mention,  nuns  from  the  Congregational  Nunnery, 
sometimes  entered  our  Convent  for  worse  purposes. 

"We  Avere  frequently  assured,  that  miracles  are  still  performed; 
and  pains  were  taken  to  impress  us  deepl}'-  on  this  subject.  The 
Superior  often  spoke  to  us  of  the  Virgin  Mary's  pincushion,  the 
remains  of  which  it  is  pretended  are  preserved  in  the  Convent, 
thougb  it  has  crumbled  quite  to  dust.  We  regarded  tliis  relic 
with  such  veneration,  that  we  were  afraid  even  to  look  at  it, 
and  we  often  heard  the  following  story  related,  when  the  subject 
was  introduced. 


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68 


A  W  F  U  L     D  I  S  C  L  0  S  U  U  E  S  . 


A  priest  in  JcrJisnloiii  onco  had  a  vision,  in  wljicli  lie  wa;*  in- 
foniicd  that  tlio  lionso  in  wliieh  tlio  Virgin  lind  lived,  sliould  be 
roniovod  Ironi  il8  foundations,  and  transported  to  a  uistanco, 
llo  did  not  think  tlie  communication  >vas  from  God,  and  tlierc- 
foro  disregarded  it ;  but  tLo  bouse  was  soon  after  nussed,  wbieli 
convinced  him  that  the  vision  was  true,  and  bo  told  where  the 
house  might  be  found.  A  picture  of  the  house  is  preserved  in 
tlio  Nunnery,  and  was  Boraetimes  shown  us.  There  are  also  wax 
figures  of  Joseph  sawing  wood,  and  Jesus  as  a  child,  picking  up 
tiie  chips.  We  were  taught  to  sing  a  little  song  relating  to  tliis, 
the  chorus  of  which  I  remember. 

**  Saint  Joseph  charpentler, 
Petit  Jesua  ramassait  les  copeaux 
Pour  fair  bouilllr  la  marmlte." 

St.  Joseph  was  a  carpenter,  little  Jesus  collected  chips  to  make 
the  pot  boil. 

I  began  to  speak  of  miracles,  and  I  recollect  a  story  of  one, 
about  a  family  in  Italy  saved  from  shipwreck  by  a  priest,  who 
were  in  consequence  converted  and  had  two  sons  honoured  with 
the  priest's  office. 

I  had  heard  before  I  entered  the  Convent,  about  a  great  fire 
which  destroyed  a  number  of  houses  in  the  Quebec  suburbs,  and 
wliich  some  said  the  Bishop  extinguished  with  holy  water.  I 
once  heard  a  Catholic  and  a  Protestant  disputing  on  this  subject, 
and  when  I  went  to  the  Congregational  Nunnery,  I  sometimes 
heard  the  children,  alluding  to  the  same  story,  say  at  an  alarm 
of  tire,  "  Is  it  a  Catholic  fire  ?  Then  why  does  not  the  Bishop 
■• 

Among  the  topics  on  which  the  bishop  addressed  the  nuns  in 
the  Convent  this  was  one.  lie  told  us  the  story  cne  day,  and 
said  he  could  have  sooner  interfered  and  stopped  the  flames,  but 
that  at  last,  finding  they  were  about  to  destroy  too  many  Catli- 
olic  houses,  he  threw  holy  water  on  the  fire,  and  extinguished  it. 
I  believed  this,  and  also  thought  that  he  was  able  to  put  out  any 
fire,  but  that  he  never  did  it,  except  when  inspired. 

The  holy  water  which  the  Bishop  had  consecrated,  was  con- 
sidered much  more  efiicacious,  than  any  blessed  by  a  common 


BLACK     NUNNERY. 


priest ;  and  thii)  it  was  which  was  used  in  the  Convent  in  spriuk- 
liujjf  our  beds.    It  hftd  virtue  in  it,  to  keep  ofVany  evil  spirits. 

Now  that  I  was  a  nun,  I  was  occasionally  sent  to  read  lectures 
to  tlio  novices,  as  other  nuns  had  been  while  I  was  a  novice. 
Tliero  were  but  few  of  us,  wlio  were  thought  capable  of  reading 
Eiif,'lish  well  enough,  and  therefore,  I  was  more  fre()uently  sent 
than  I  might  otherwise  have  been.  The  Superior  often  said  to 
me,  as  I  was  going  among  the  novices : 

""  Try  to  convert  them — save  their  souls — you  know  you  will 
have  a  higher  place  in  heaven  for  every  one  you  convert." 

For  Avhatever  reason,  Mad  Jane  Ray  seemed  to  take  great 
delight  in  crossing  and  provoking  the  Superior  and  old  nuns ; 
and  oflen  she  would  cause  an  interruption  when  it  was  most 
inconvenient  and  displeasing  to  them.  The  preservation  of 
silence  was  insisted  upon  most  rigidly,  and  penances  of  such  n 
nature  were  imposed  for  breaking  it,  that  it  was  a  constant 
source  of  uneasiness  with  me,  to  know  that  I  might  infringe  the 
rules  in  so  many  ways,  and  that  inattention  might  at  any 
moment  subject  me  to  something  very  unpleasant.  During  the 
periods  of  meditation,  therefore,  and  those  of  lecture,  work,  and 
repose,  I  kept  a  strict  guard  upon  myself,  to  escape  penances,  as 
well  as  to  avoid  sin ;  and  the  silence  of  the  other  nuns,  con- 
vinced rao  that  they  were  equally  watchful,  and  from  the  same 
motives. 

My  feelings,  however,  varied  at  different  times,  and  so  did 
those  of  many,  if  not  all  my  companions,  excepting  the  older 
ones,  who  took  their  turns  in  watching  us.  We  sometimes  felt 
disposed  for  gaiety,  and  threw  off  all  ideas  that  talking  was 
sinful,  even  when  forbidden  by  the  rules  of  the  Convent.  And 
even  when  I  felt  that  I  might  perhaps  be  doing  wrong,  I  reflected 
that  confession,  and  certainly  penance,  would  soon  wipe  off  the 
guilt. 

I  may  remark  here,  that  I  ere  long  found  out  several  things, 
important  to  be  known,  to  a  person  living  under  such  rules. 
One  of  these  was,  that  it  was  much  better  to  confess  to  a  priest, 
a  sin  committed  against  the  rules,  because  he  w^ould  not  require 
one  of  the  penances  I  most  disliked,  viz. :  those  which  exposed 
me  to  the  observation  of  the  nuns,  or  which  demanded  sclf- 


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AWFUL     D  1  S  C  L  O  S  U  U  E  S 


debasement  before  them,  like  begging  their  pardon,  kissing  the 
floor,  or  the  Superior's  feet,  &c.,  and,  besides,  he  as  a  confessor 
was  said  to  be  bound  to  secrecy,  and  could  not  inform  tho  Supe- 
rior against  me.  My  conscience  being  as  effectually  unburthened 
by  my  confession  to  the  priest,  as  I  had  been  taught  to  believe, 
I  therefore  preferred  not  to  tell  my  sins  to  any  one  else;  and  this 
course  I  found  was  preferred  by  others  for  the  same  good 
reasons. 

To  Jane  Ray,  however,  it  sometimes  appeared  to  be  a  matter 
of  perfect  indifference,  who  knew  her  violations  of  rule,  or  to 
what  penances  she  exposed  herself. 

Often  and  often,  while  perfect  silence  prevailed  among  tho 
nuns,  at  meditation,  or  while  nothing  was  to  bo  heard  except 
tho  voice  of  tho  reader  appointed  for  the  day,  no  matter  whoso 
life  or  writings  were  presented  for  our  contemplations,  Jane 
would  break  forth  with  some  remark  or  question,  that  would 
attract  general  attention,  and  often  cause  a  long  and  total  inter- 
ruption. Sometimes  she  would  make  some  harmless  remark  or 
inquiry  aloud,  as  if  through  mere 'inadvertency,  and  then  her 
well-known  voice,  so  strongly  associated  with  every  thing 
singular  and  ridiculous,  would  arrest  tho  attention  of  us  all,  and 
generally  incline  us  to  smile,  and  even  force  us  to  laugh.  Tho 
Superior  would  then  usually  utter  some  hasty  remonstrance,  and 
many  a  time  have  I  lieard  her  pronounce  some  penance  upon 
her;  but  Jane  had  ever  some  apcdogy  reauy,  or  some  reply 
calculated  to  irritate  still  ftirther,  or  to  prove  to  'every  one,  that 
no  punishment  would  be  effectual  on  her.  Sometitnes  this 
singular  woman  would  appear  to  be  actuated. by  opposite  feel- 
ings and  motives;  for  although  she  usually  delighted  in  drawing 
others  into  difficulty,  and  has  thrown  many  a  severe  penance 
ovoQ  upon  her  greatest  favourites;  on  other  occasions  she 
appeared  totally  regardless  of  consequences  herself,  and  pre- 
ferred to  take  all  the  blame,  anxious  only  to  shield  others. 

I  have  repeatedly  known  her  to  break  silence  in  the  com- 
munity, as  if  she  had  no  object,  or  none  oeyond  that  of  causing 
disturbance,  or  exciting  a  smile,  and  as  soon  as  it  was  noticed, 
exclaim :     "  Say  it's  mo,  say  it's  rue  I" 

Sometimes  she  would  even  expose  herself  to  punishments  in 


C  O  N  G  K  E  U  A  T  1  U  N  A  L     N  U  N  N  !•;  i:  V 


11 


place  oC  anotJior  who  was  guilty;  and  thus  I  foutid  ii  difUcult 
fully  to  imderstiind  her.  In  sonio  cases  she  sceined  decidedly 
out  of  her  wit?^,  as  the  Superior  and  priests  commonly  i)referreJ 
to  represent  her ;  but  generally  I  saw  in  her  what  prevented  mo 
from  accounting  her  insane. 

^\raong  her  most  common  tricks  were  such  as  these:  Sho 
gave  me  the  name  of  the  "  Devout  English  Header,"  because  I 
was  often  appointed  to  make  the  lecture  to  the  English  girls ; 
and  sometimes,  after  taking  a  seat  near  me,  under  pretence  of 
deafness,  would  whisper  it  in  my  hearing,  because  she  knew  my 
want  of  self-command  when  excited  to  laughter.  Thus  sho 
often  exposed  rae  to  penances  for  a  breach  of  decorum,  and  set 
mo  to  biting  my  lips,  to  avoid  laughing  outright  in  the  midst  of 
a  solemn  lecture.  "Oh!  you  devout  English  Reader!"'  would 
sometimes  come  upon  me  suddenly  from  her  lips,  with  some- 
thing in  it  so  ludicrous  that  I  had  to  exert  myself  to  the  utmost 
to  avoid  observation. 

This  came  so  often  at  one  time,  that  I  grew  uneasy,  and  told 
her  I  must  confess  it,  to  unburden  my  conscience ;  I  had  not 
done  so  before,  because  sho  would  complain  of  mo,  for  giving 
way  to  temptation. 

Sometimes  she  would  pass  behind  us  as  vre  stood  at  dinner 
ready  to  sit  down,  and  softly  moving  back  our  chairs,  leave  us  to 
fall  down  upon  the  floor.  This  she  repeatedly  has  done ;  and 
while  we  were  laughing  together,  she  would  spring  forward, 
kneel  to  the  Superior,  and  beg  her  pardon  and  a  penance. 


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12 


AWFUL     DISCLOSURES. 


I,IIIU|I 


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!!! 


CHAPTER  XI. 

Alarming  Order  from  the  Superior— Proceed  to  execute  it— Scene  In  an  upper 
Room— Sentence  of  Death,  and  Murder— Sly  own  distress— Reports  made  to  friends 
of  St.  Francis. 

But  I  must  now  come  to  one  deed,  in  which  I  had  sorao  part, 
and  which  I  look  back  upon  with  greater  horror  and  pain,  than 
any  occurrences  in  the  Convent,  in  which  I  was  not  the  princi- 
pal sufferer.    It  is  not  necessary  for  me  to  attempt  to  excuse 
myself  in  this  or  any  other  case.    Those  who  have  any  disposi- 
tion to  judge  fairly,  will  exercise  their  own  judgment  in  making 
allowances  for  me,  under  the  fear  and  force,  the  commands  and 
examples,  around  me      I,  therefore,  shall  confine  myself,  as 
usual,  to  the  simple  narrative  of  facts.    The  time  was  about  fivo 
months  after  I  took  the  veil ;  the  weather  was  cool,  perhaps  iu 
September  or  October.    One  day,  the  Superior  sent  for  me  and 
several  other  nuns,  to  receive  her  commands  at  a  particular 
room.     We  found  the  Bishop  and  some  priests  with  her ;  and 
speaking  in  an  unusual  tone  of  fierceness  and  authority,  she  said, 
"  Go  to  the  room  for  the  Examination  of  Conscience,  and  drag 
Saint  Francis  up-stairs."    Nothing  more  was  necessary  than  tliis 
unusual  command,  with  the  tone  and  manner  which  accompanied 
it,  to  excite  in  me  most  gloomy  anticipations.  It  did  not  strike  nie 
as  strange,  that  St.  Francis  should  bo  in  the  room  to  which  tho 
Superior  directed  us.    It  was  an  apartment  to  which  we  were 
often  sent  to  prepare  for  the  communion,  r.nd  to  which  we  \o]- 
untarily  went,  whenever  we  felt  the  compunctions  which  our 
ignorance  of  duty,  aad  the  misinstructions  we  received,  inclined 
us  to  seek  relief  from  self-reproach.    Indeed,  I  had  seen  her 
there  a  little  before.    "What  terrified  me  was,  fi  -st,  the  Superior's 
an^^Ty  manner ;  second,  the  expression  she  used,  being  a  French 
term,  whoso  peculiar  use  I  had  learnt  in  tho  Convent,  and  whoso 


BLACK     NUNNERY 


13 


uieaiiiu^  is  rutlier  solteiied  when  translated  into  drag;  tliird, 
llio  \A-\CQ  to  ■\vliich  wo  were  directed  to  take  tho  interesting 
young  nun,  Jiud  the  persona  assembled  there  as  I  supposed  to 
condemn  her.  My  tears  were  such,  concerning  the  fate  that 
awaited  her,  and  my  horror  at  the  idea  that  she  was  in  some 
way  to  be  sacrificed,  that  I  would  liave  given  any  thing  to  bo 
MJiowed  to  stay  where  I  was.  But  1  feared  the  conseciuenco  of 
disobeying  the  Superior,  and  proceeded  with  the  rest  towards 
the  room  for  the  examination  of  couscieucc. 

T!ie  room  to  which  wo  were  to  proceed  from  that,  was  in  tho 
second  story,  and  tho  place  of  many  a  t^ene  of  a  shameful  nature. 
It  is  sufficient  for  mo  to  say,  after  what  i  li.?>ve  said  in  other 
parts  of  tliis  book,  that  things  had  there  occurred  which  made 
nie  regard  the  place  with  the  greatest  disgust  Saint  Francis 
had  appeared  melancholy  for  some  time.  I  well  knew  that  she 
liad  cause,  for  she  had  been  repeatedly  subject  to  trials  which  I 
need  not  name — our  common  lot.  When  we  reached  the  room 
wiiere  wo  had  been  bidden  to  seek  her,  I  entered  tho  door,  my 
comiianions  standing  behind  me,  as  tho  place  was  so  small  as 
liardly  to  hold  five  persons  at  a  time.  The  young  nun  was 
standing  alone  near  the  middle  of  tho  room  ;  she  was  probably 
ixhowt  twenty,  with  light  hair,  blue  eyes^  and  a  very  fair  com- 
plexion. I  spoke  to  her  in  a  compassionate  voice,  but  at  tho 
same  time  with  such  a  decided  manner,  that  she  comprehended 
my  full  meaning — 

"  Saint  Francis,  we  are  sent  for  you." 

Several  others  spoke  kindly  to  her,  but  two  addressed  her  very 
harshly.  The  poor  creature  turned  round  with  a  look  of  meek- 
ness, and  without  expressing  any  unwillingness  or  fear,  without 
even  speaking  a  word,  resigned  herself  to  our  hands.  Tho 
tears  came  into  my  eyes.  I  had  not  a  moment's  doubt  that 
she  considered  her  fate  as  sealed,  and  was  already  beyond 
the  fear  of  death.  She  was  conducted,  or  rather  hurried  to 
the  staircase,  which  was  near  by,  and  then  seized  by  her  limbs 
and  clothes,  and  in  fact  almost  dragged  up-stairs,  in  the  sens© 
tho  Superior  had  intended.  I  laid  my  own  hands  upon  her — 
I  took  hold  of  her  too,— moro  gentle  indeed  than  some  of  the 
rost;  yet  I  encouraged  and  assisted  them  in  carrying  her.    I 


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AWFUL     DISCLOSURES 


could  not  avoid  it.  My  refusal  would  not  have  saved  her,  nor 
prevented  her  beirg  carried  up;  it  would  only  have  exposed  mo 
to  some  severe  punishment,  as  I  believed  some  of  my  compan- 
ions would  have  seized  the  first  opportunity  to  complain  of  me. 

All  the  way  up  the  staircase.  Saint  Francis  spoke  not  a  word, 
nor  made  the  slightest  resistance.  When  wo  entered  with  her 
the  room  to  which  she  was  ordered,  my  heart  sank  witliin  me. 
The  Bishop,  the  Lady  Superior,  and  five  priests,  viz.  JJonin, 
Ilichards,  Savage,  and  two  others,  I  now  ascertained,  were  assem- 
bled for  her  trial,  on  some  charge  of  great  importance. 

When  we  had  brought  our  prisoner  before  them,  Father  Rich- 
ards began  to  question  her,  and  she  made  ready  but  calm  rej)lies. 
I  cannot  pretend  to  give  a  connected  account  of  what  ensued ; 
my  feelings  were  wrought  up  to  such  a  pitch,  that  I  knew  not 
what  I  did,  nor  what  to  do.  I  was  under  a  terrible  apprehension 
that,  if  I  betrayed  my  feelings  which  almost  overcame  me,  I 
should  fall  under  the  displeasure  of  the  cold-blooded  persecutors 
of  my  poor  innocent  sister;  and  this  fear  on  the  one  hand,  with 
the  distress  I  felt  for  her  on  the  other,  rendered  me  almost  fran- 
tic. As  soon  as  I  entered  the  room,  I  had  stepped  into  a  corner, 
on  the  left  of  the  entrance,  where  I  might  partially  support 
myself,  by  leaning  against  the  wall,  between  the  door  and  w  .n- 
dow.  This  support  was  all  that  prevented  me  from  falling  to 
the  floor,  for  the  confusion  of  my  thoughts  was  so  great,  that 
only  a  few  of  the  words  I  heard  spoken  on  either  side  made  any 
lasting  impression  upon  me.  I  felt  as  if  struck  with  some  insup- 
portable blow ;  and  death  would  not  have  been  more  frightful 
to  me.  I  am  inclined  to  the  belief,  that  Father  Richards  wislied 
to  shield  the  i)oor  prisoner  from  tl»o  severity  of  her  fate,  by 
drawing  from  her  expressions  that  might  bear  a  favorable  con- 
struction, lie  asked  her,  among  other  thingt',  if  nho  v/as  not 
sorry  for  what  she  had  been  overheard  to  say,  (for  she  had 
been  betrayed  by  one  of  the  nuns,)  and  if  she  would  not  prefer 
confinement  in  the  cells,  to  the  punishment  which  was  threat- 
ened her.  But  the  Bishop  soon  irterrupted  him,  and  it  was 
easy  to  perceive,  that  he  considered  her  fate  as  sealed,  and  w.is 
determined  she  sliould  not  escape.  In  reply  to  some  of  the  ques- 
tions put  to  iior,  she  was  silent ;  to  others  I  heard  her  voice  reply 


ULAf.ii     N  U  N  N  E  B  Y  . 


t6 


that  she  did  not  repent  of  words  slio  had  uttered,  thongh  they 
had  been  reported  by  some  of  tlie  nuns  who  had  heard  theui ; 
that  she  still  wished  to  escape  from  the  Convent ;  and  that  she 
had  firmly  resolved  to  resist  every  attempt  to  compel  her  to  the 
connuission  of  crimes  which  she  detested.  She  added,  that  sho 
would  rather  die  than  cause  the  murder  of  harmless  babes. 

''That  is  enough,  linish  her!"  said  the  Bishop. 

Two  nuns  instantly  fell  upon  the  young  woman,  and  in  obedi- 
ence to  directions,  given  by  the  Superior,  prepared  to  execute 
her  sentence. 

Sho  still  maintained  all  the  calmness  and  submission  of  a  lamb. 
Some  of  those  who  took  part  in  this  transaction,  I  believe,  were 
as  unwilling  as  myself;  but  of  others  1  can  safely  say,  that  I 
believG  they  delighted  in  it.  Their  conduct  certainly  exhibited 
a  most  blood-thirsty  spirit.  But,  above  all  others  present,  and 
above  all  human  fiends  I  ever  saw,  I  think  Sainte  Uypolite  w 
the  most  diabolical.  Sho  engaged  in  the  horrid  task  with  all 
alacrity,  and  assumed  from  choice  the  most  revolting  parts  to  bo 
performed.  Sho  seized  a  gag,  forced  it  into  the  mtrnth  of  the 
poor  nun,  and  when  it  was  lixed  between  her  extended  jaws,  so 
as  to  keep  them  open  at  their  greatest  possible  distance,  took 
hold  of  the  straps  fastened  at  each  end  of  the  stick,  crossed  them 
behind  the  helpless  head  of  the  victim,  and  drew  them  tight 
through  the  loop  prepared  as  a  fastening. 

The  bed  which  had  always  stood  in  one  part  of  the  room,  still 
remained  there ;  though  the  screen,  which  had  Ur,ually  been 
placed  before  it,  and  was  made  of  thick  muslin,  with  only  a 
crevice  through  which  a  person  behind  miglit  look  out,  had  been 
folded  up  on  its  Jiinges  in  the  form  of  a  W,  and  placed  in  a 
corner.  On  the  bed  the  prisoner  was  laid  with  her  face  upward, 
and  then  bound  with  cords,  so  that  sho  could  not  move  .  In  an 
instant  another  bed  was  thrown  upon  her.  One  of  the  priests, 
named  Bonin,  sprung  like  a  fury  first  upon  it,  and  stamped  upon 
it,  with  all  his  force,  llo  was  speedily  followed  by  the  nuns,  until 
there  were  as  many  upon  the  bed  as  could  find  room,  and  all  did 
wluit  they  could,  not  only  to  smother,  but  to  bruise  her.  Some 
stood  up  and  jumped  upon  the  poor  girl  with  their  feet,  some 
with  their  kiUH.H,  and  others  in  difierent  ways  seemed  to  seek 


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16 


A  W  K  U  li     DISCLOSURES 


how  tliey  iuij,'lit  best  beat  the  breath  out  of  lier  body,  and  mauglo 
it,  without  cominj,'  in  direct  contact  with  it,  or  seeing  tho  ctFects 
of  their  violence.  During  tiiis  time,  uiy  feelings  were  almost  too 
strong  to  been  dured.  1  fjlt  stupetied,  and  wass  carcely  conscious 
of  what  1  did.  Still,  fear  for  myself  remained  in  a  sutlicient 
degree  to  induce  mo  to  some  exertion,  and  I  attempted  to  talk 
to  those  who  stood  next,  jjarll}'  that  I  might  have  an  excuse  for 
turning  away  from  tho  dreadful  scene. 

After  the  lapse  of  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes,  and  when  it  Avas 
presumed  that  the  sufferer  had  been  smothered,  and  crushed  to 
death,  Father  IJonin  and  tho  nuns  ceased  to  trample  upon  her, 
and  stepped  from  tho  bed.  All  was  motionless  and  silent  beneath 
it. 

They  then  began  to  laugh  at  such  inhuman  thoughts  as  occur- 
red to  some  of  them,  rallying  each  other  in  the  most  unfeeling 

anner,  and  ridiculing  me  for  the  feelings  Wbich  I  in  vain 
endeavoured  to  conceal.  They  alluded  to  the  resignation  of  our 
murdered  companion,  and  one  of  them  tauntingly  said,  "  She 
would  have  made  a  good  Catholic  martyr."  After  spending 
some  moments  in  such  conversation,  one  of  them  asked  if  the 
corpse  should  be  removed.  The  Superior  said  it  had  better 
remain  a  little  while.  After  waiting  a  short  time  longer,  the 
feather-bed  was  taken  off,  the  cords  unloosed,  and  the  body 
taken  by  the  nuns  and  dragged  down  stairs.  I  was  informed 
that  it  was  taken  into  the  cellar,  and  thrown  unceremoniously 
into  tlie  hole  which  I  have  already  described,  covered  with  a 
great  quantity  of  lime,  and  afterwards  sprinkled  with  a  liquid, 
of  the  i)roperties  and  name  of  which  I  am  ignorant.  This  liquia 
I  have  scon  poured  into  tho  hole  from  largo  bottles,  after  tho 
necks  were  broken  off,  and  havo  heard  that  it  is  used  in 
Franco  to  prevent  tlie  effluvia  rising  from  cemeteries. 

I  did  not  soon  recover  from  the  shock  caused  by  this  scene ; 
indeeil  it  still  recurs  to  me,  with  most  gloomy  impressions.  The 
next  driy  there  was  a  melancholy  aspect  over  everything,  and 
recreation  time  passed  in  the  dullest  manner;  scarcely  anything 
was  said  above  a  whisper. 

I  never  heard  much  said  afterward  about  Saint  Francis-. 

I  spoke  with  one  of  the  nuns,  a  few  words,  one  day,  but  avc 


BLACK     NUNNERY. 


71 


were  all  cautioned  not  to  expose  ourselves  very  fur,  aud  could 
not  place  mucli  reliance  iu  eacli  other.  Tlio  murdered  nun  had 
been  brought  to  her  shocking  end  tlirough  the  treachery  of  one 
of  our  number,  iu  wliom  she  coutided. 

1  never  knew  witli  certainty  who  had  reported  lier  remarks  to 
the  Superior,  but  suspicion  fastened  on  one,  aud  1  never  could 
regard  her  but  with  detestation. 

I  was  more  inclined  to  blame  her  than  some  of  those  employ- 
ed in  the  execution;  for  there  could  have  been  no  necessity  for 
the  betrayal  of  her  feelings.  We  all  knew  how  to  avoid  expos- 
ing each  other. 

1  was  often  sent  by  the  Superior  to  overhear  what  was  said  by 
novices  and  nuns :  when  they  seemed  to  shun  her,  she  would 
say,  "  Go  and  listen,  they  are  speaking  English  ;"  and  tliough  1 
obeyed  her,  I  nayer  informed  her  against  them.  If  1  wished  to 
clear  my  consolfPro,  I  would  go  to  a  priest,  and  confess,  knowing 
that  he  dared  not  communicate  what  I  said  to  any  person,  and 
that  he  would  not  impose  as  heavy  penances  as  the  {Superior. 

We  were  always  at  liberty  to  choose  another  confessor  when 
wo  had  any  sin  to  confess,  which  we  were  unwilling  to  tell  one 
to  Avliom  we  should  otherwise  have  gone. 

Not  long  after  the  murder  just  related,  a  young  woman  came 
to  the  nunnery,  and  asked  for  permission  to  see  Saint  Francis. 
It  was  my  former  friend,  with  whom  I  had  been  an  assistant 
teacher.  Miss  Louise  Bousquet,  of  St.  Denis.  From  this,  I  sup- 
posed the  murdered  nun  might  have  come  from  tliat  town,  or  its 
vicinity.  The  only  answer  returned  to  the  inijuiry  was,  that 
Saint  Francis  was  dead. 

Some  time  afterward,  some  of  St.  Francis'  friends  called  to 
inquire  after  her,  and  they  were  told  that  she  had  died  a  glorious 
death ;  and  further  told,  that  she  made  some  heavenly  expres- 
sions, which  were  repeated  in  order  to  satisfy  her  friends. 


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AWFUL    DISCLOSURES. 


CUAPTEK  XII. 

Description  of  the  Room  of  the  Three  States,  and  the  pictures  in  it— Jane  Ray  ridi- 
culing I'riests — Their  criminiU  Treatment  of  ua  at  Confession— Jane  Ray's  Triclcs  with 
tlie  NuPH*  Apronii,  Uandlicrchiefs,  and  Niglitgowus— Apples. 

The  pictures  in  the  room  of  the  Three  States  were  large,  and 
I)ainted  by  some  artist  who  understood  how  to  make  horrible 
ones.  They  a])peared  to  bo  stuck  to  the  walls.  The  light  is  ad- 
mitted from  small  and  high  windows,  which  an  curtained,  and 
is  rather  faint,  so  as  to  make  every  thing  look  g)^W^«  The  story 
told  us  was,  that  they  were  painted  by  an  artfif  to  whom  God 
had  given  power  to  represent  things  exactly  as  they  are  in  hea- 
ven, hell,  and  purgatory. 

In  heaven,  ihe  picture  of  which  hangs  on  one  side  of  the  apart- 
ment, multitudes  o(  nuns  and  priestiL-  are  put  in  the  liighest  places, 
with  the  Virgin  Mary  at  the  head,  St.  Peter  and  other  saints  far 
above  the  great  numbers  of  good  Catholics  of  other  classes,  who 
were  crowded  in  below. 

In  purgatory  are  multitudes  of  people ;  and  in  one  part,  called 
"  Thej^ldce  of  ?a??iAs,"  are  infants  who  died  unbaptized.  "  The 
place  of  darhicsSy'^  is  that  part  of  purgatory  in  which  adults  are 
collected ;  and  there  they  are  surrounded  with  Hames,  waiting 
to  bo  delivered  by  the  prayers  of  the  living. 

In  hell,  the  picture  of  which,  and  tliut  of  purgatory,  were  on 
the  wall  opi)osite  tliat  of  heaven,  the  human  faces  were  the  most 
horrible  that  can  be  imagined.  Persons  of  different  descriptions 
were  represented,  with  the  most  distorted  features,  ghastly  com- 
plexions, and  every  variety  of  dreadful  expression ;  some  with 
wild  beasts  gnawing  at  their  heads,  others  furiously  biting  the 
iron  bai*3  which  kept  them  in,  with  looks  which  could  not  fail  to 
make  a  sp^ectator  shudder. 

I  could  hardly  persuade  mysolf  Hint  the  figures  were  not  living, 


HI,  ACK     NUNNERY. 


19 


and  tlio  iinprefsion  they  nmdo  on  my  feelings  was  powerful.  I 
was  often  shown  the  phico  whero  nuns  go  who  break  their  vowb, 
as  a  warning.  It  is  the  liottest  place  in  hell,  and  worse,  in  every 
point  of  view,  even  than  that  to  which  Protestants  are  assigned; 
because  they  are  not  so  much  to  bo  blamed,  as  we  were  sonio- 
tinies  assured,  aslliuir  ministers  and  the  Bible,  by  which  they 
are  perverted. 

Whenever  I  was  shut  in  that  room,  as  I  was  several  times,  T 
prayed  for  "  les  ames  dcs  fidelea  trepasses :"  the  souls  of  thoso 
faithful  ones  who  liave  long  been  in  purgatory,  and  have  no  re- 
lations living  to  pray  for  them. 

My  feelings  were  often  of  the  most  painful  description,  while 
I  remained  alone  with  thoso  frightful  pictures. 

Jane  Kay  was  onco  put  in,  and  uttered  the  most  dreadful 
shrieks.  Some  of  the  old  nuns  proposed  to  the  Superior  to  have 
her  gagged :  **lj^"  she  replied ;  "go  and  let  out  that  devil,  she 
maki3s  mo  sin  nfli  than  all  the  rest." 

Jano  could  not  eadure  the  place ;  and  she  afterward  gave 
names  to  many  of  the  worst  figures  in  the  pictures.  On  cate- 
chisni-days  she  would  take  a  seat  behind  a  cupboard-door,  where 
the  priest  could  not  see  her,  while  she  faced  the  nuns,  and  would 
make  us  laugh.  '*  You  are  not  so  attentive  to  your  lesson  as  you 
used  to  be,"  ho  would  begin  to  say,  while  we  were  endeavouring 
to  suppress  our  laughter. 

Jane  would  then  hold  up  the  first  letter  of  some  priest's  name, 
whom  she  had  before  compared  with  one  of  tho  faces  in  "hell," 
and  look  so  that  wo  could  hardly  preserve  our  gravity.  I  re- 
incniher  she  named  tho  wretoli  who  was  biting  at  tho  bars  of 
lioil,  with  a  serpent  gnawing  his  head,  with  chains  and  padlocks 
on,  Father  Dufresne ;  and  she  would  say — "  Does  not  he  look  like 
him,  when  he  comes  in  to  Catechism  with  his  long  solemn  face, 
and  begins  his  speeches  with,  'My  children,  my  liope  is,  you 
have  lived  very  devout  lives  V  " 

The  first  time  I  went  to  confession  after  taking  the  veil,  I 
found  abundant  evidence  that  the  priests  did  not  treat  even  that 
ceremony,  which  is  called  a  solemn  sacrament,  with  respect 
enough  to  lay  aside  tho  detestable  and  shameless  character  they 
80  often  showed  on  other  occasions.    Tho  confessor  sometimes 


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A  W  F  1-  L     DISCLOSURES. 


sat  in  the  room  ofexamirmlion  of  ronscience,  nutl  somctiriics  in 
the  Superior's  room,  and  always  nlonc,  oxcept  the  nun  who  was 
confessing.  ITo  had  a  common  cli.iir  placed  in  the  middle  of  the 
floor,  and  instead  of  b'.'iriL'  placed  behind  a  grate,  or  lattice,  as  in 
the  chapel,  had  nothing  .jcforo  or  around  him.  There  were  no 
spectators  to  observe  him,  and  of  courrfo  any  kucIj  thing  would 
have  been  unnecessary. 

A  number  of  nuns  usually  confessed  on  the  .«amo  day,  bnt 
only  one  could  be  admitted  into  the  room  at  the  time.  They 
took  their  places  just  without  the  door,  on  their  knees,  and 
went  througli  the  preparation  prescribed  by  the  mk  -;  of  confes- 
sion; repeating  certain  prayers,  which  always  occupy  a  consid- 
erable time.  When  one  was  ready,  she  rose  1'  lu  lier  ;  riees, 
entered,  and  closed  the  door  behind  her;  and  no  other  one  even 
dared  touch  the  latch  until  she  came  out. 

I  shall  not  tell  what  was  transacted  at  suck|iimes,  undc  the 
pretence  of  confessing,  and  receiving  absoluiion  tr;».'n  sin:  far 
more  guilt  was  often  'incurred  than  pardoned ;  and  crimes  of  a 
deep  die  were  committed,  while  trifling  irregularities,  in  childish 
ceremonies,  were  treated  as  serious  oflPences.  I  cannot  persuade 
myself  to  speak  plainly  on  such  a  subject,  as  I  must  offend  tho 
virtuous  ear.  I  can  only  say,  that  suspicion  cannot  do  any 
injustice  to  the  priests,  because  their  sins  cannot  bo  exaggerated. 

^ome  idea  may  be  formed  of  the  manner  in  which  even  such 
women  as  many  of  my  sister  nuns  were  regarded  tho  confessors, 
when  I  state,  that  there  was  often  a  contest  among  us,  to  avoid 
entering  the  apartment  as  long  as  we  could,  endeavouring  to 
make  each  other  go  first,  as  that  was  what  most  of  u   dreaded. 

During  the  long  and  tedious  days,  which  fried  up  the  time 
between  the  occurrences  I  have  mentioned,  nothing,  or  little  took 
place  to  keep  up  our  spirits.  We  were  fatigued  in  body  with 
labour,  or  with  fitting,  debilitated  by  the  long  continu'  ice  of 
our  religious  exercises,  and  depressed  in  feelings  by  our  miserable 
and  hopeless  condition.  Nothing  but  the  humors  of  mad  Jane 
Ray,  could  rouse  ns  for  a  moment  from  our  languor  and 
melancholy. 

To  mention  all  her  devices,  would  require  more  room  than  is 
hero  allowed,  and  a  memory  of  almost  all  her  T^rds  and  actions 


n  I,  A  c  ic    N  c  N  N  r:  R  Y  . 


81 


for  yenrs.  I  liad  c.'irly  bocotiio  a  favourite  wltii  her,  anl  had 
oiiportunity  to  learn  moro  of  her  character  thiin  most  of  tlio 
otlier  ninis.  As  this  may  bo  host  learnt  from  hearim?  what  sho 
(lid,  1  Avill  here  recount  u  few  ot  her  trick-,  just  ns  tlicy  iiappeu 
to  present  tlieniBelvos  to  my  memory,  without  regard  to  the 
(irdcr  of  time. 

Slio  one  day,  in  an  unaccountahlo  liuinour,  sprinkled  the  fl()t)r 
plentifidly  wiili  holy  water,  which  brou;;ht  upon  h-  r  a  severe 
lecttu'o  from  the  Supeiior,  as  mi^rht  liavo  been  expected.  The 
Superi  »r  siid  it  was  a  heinous  otl'enco ;  she  iiad  wasted  holy 
water  enough  to  save  many  soids  from  pnrjjatory ;  and  what 
woidd  they  not  give  for  it!  She  tlien  ordered  Jane  to  ah  in  iho 
middle  of  tlie  lloor,  and  ^  hen  the  priest  came,  ho  was  informed 
of  her  ottence.  Instc  Jiowover,  of  imposing  one  of  tiioso 
penances  to  which  she  had  often  been  subjected,  hut  with  so 
little  etrect,  ho  said  to  her,  "  Go  to  your  i)Iace,  Jane;  wo  forgivo 
you  for  this  time.'* 

I  was  once  se;  to  iron  aprons  with  Jane  ;  aprons  and  pocket- 
handkerchiefs  a-e  the  only  articles  of  dress  which  are  ever 
ironed  in  the  Convent.  As  soon  as  wo  were  alone,  ^ho  remarked, 
•'  Well,  we  ai-o  free  from  tho  rules,  whilo  wo  arc  at  this  work ;" 
and  idthouirh  she  knew  she  had  no  reason  for  saying  so,  she 
began  to  sing,  and  I  soon  joined  her,  and  thus  we  spent  tho 
time,  whilo  we  were  at  work,  to  the  neglect  of  the  prayers  wo 
ought  to  have  said. 

Wo  liad  no  idea  that  wo  were  in  danger  of  being  overheard, 
but  it  happened  that  the  Superior  was  overhead  all  tho  time, 
with  several  nuns,  who  wore  preparing  for  confession :  she  canio 
down  and  said,  "  How  is  this  ?"  Jane  Kay  coolly  replied,  that 
wo  had  employed  our  timo  in  singing  hymns,  and  referred  to 
mo.  I  was  afraid  to  confirm  so  direct  a  falsehood,  in  order  to 
deceive  tho  Superior,  though  I  had  ofren  told  more  injurious  ones 
of  her  fabrication,  or  at  her  orders,  and  said  very  little  in  reply 
to  Jane's  request. 

The  Superior  plainly  saw  tho  trick  that  was  attempte'-    and 

ordered  us  both  to  tho  room  for  tho  examination  of  conscience, 

where  we  remained  till  night, -without  a  mouthful  to  eat.    Tho 

time  was  not,  however,  nnoccupiod ;  I  received  such  a  lecture 

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AWFUL    DISCLOSURES. 


from  Jane,  as  I  have  very  seldom  beard,  and  she  was  so  angry 
with  me  that  we  did  not  speak  to  each  other  for  two  weelcs. 

At  length  she  found  something  to  complain  of  against  me,  had 
me  subjected  to  a  penance,  which  led  to  our  begging  each  other's 
pardon,  and  we  became  perfectly  satisfied,  reconciled,  and  as 
good  friends  as  ever. 

One  of  the  most  disgusting  penances  we  ever  had  to  submit 
to,  "was  that  of  drinking  the  water  in  which  the  Superior  had 
washed  her  feet.  Nobody  could  ever  laugh  at  this  penance 
except  Jane  Ray.  She  would  pretend  to  comfort  us,  by  saying, 
she  was  sure  it  was  better  than  mere  plain,  clear  water. 

Some  of  the  tricks  which  I  remember,  were  played  by  Jane 
with  nuns'  clothes.  It  was  a  rule  thac  the  oldest  aprons  in  use 
should  go  to  the  youngest  received,  and  the  old  nuns  were  to 
wear  all  the  new  ones.  On  four  different  occasions,  Jane  stole 
into  the  sleeping-room  at  night,  and  unobserved  by  the  watch, 
changed  a  great  part  of  the  aprons,  placing  them  by  the  beds  of 
nuns  to  whom  they  did  not  belong.  The  consequence  was,  that 
in  the  morning  they  dressed  themselves  in  such  haste,  as  never 
to  discover  the  mistakes  they  made,  until  they  were  all  ranged 
at  prayers ;  and  then  the  ridiculous  appearance  which  many  of 
them  cut,  disturbed  the  long  devotions.  I  laugh  so  easily,  that 
on  such  occasions,  I  usually  incurred  a  full  share  of  penances,  I 
generally,  however,  got  a  new  apron,  when  Jane  played  this 
trick ;  for  it  was  part  of  her  object,  to  give  the  best  aprons  to 
her  favourites,  and  put  off  the  ragged  ones  on  some  of  the  old 
nuns  whom  she  most  hated. 

Jane  once  lost  her  pocket-handkerchief.  The  penance  for 
Bucli  an  offence  is,  to  go  without  any  for  five  weeks.  For  this 
she  had  no  relish,  and  requested  me  to  pick  one  from  some  of 
the  nuns  on  the  way  up-stairs.  I  succeeded  in  getting  two :  this 
Jane  said  was  one  too  many,  and  she  thought  it  dangerous  for 
either  of  us  to  keep  it,  lest  a  search  should  be  made.  Very  soon 
the  two  nuns  were  complaining  that  they  had  lost  their  hand- 
kerchiefs, and  wondering  what  could  have  become  of  them,  as 
they  were  sure  that  they  had  been  careful.  Jane  seized  an 
opportunity,  and  slipped  one  into  a  straw  bed,  where  it  remained 
until  the  bed  was  emptied  to  be  filled  with  new  straw. 


BLACK     NUN  NERT. 


83 


As  the  winter  was  coming  on,  one  year,  she  complained  to  me 
that  we  were  not  as  well  supplied  with  warm  night-clothes  as 
two  of  the  nuns  she  named,  whom  she  said  she  "  abominated." 
Slie  soon  after  found  means  to  get  possession  of  their  fine  warm 
flannel  nightgowns,  one  of  which  she  gave  to  me,  while  the  other 
she  put  on  at  bed  time.  She  presumed  the  owners  would  have  a 
secret  search  for  them ;  and  in  the  morning  hid  them  in  the  stove, 
after  the  fire  had  gone  out,  which  was  kindled  a  little  before  the 
hour  of  rising,  and  then  suffered  to  burn  down. 

This  she  did  every  morning,  taking  them  out  at  night,  through 
the  winter.  The  poor  nuns  who  owned  the  garments  were  afraid 
to  complain  of  their  loss,  lest  they  should  have  some  penance 
laid  on  them,  and  nothing  was  ever  said  about  them.  When  the 
weather  began  to  grow  warm  in  the  spring  Jane  returned  the 
nightgowns  to  the  beds  of  the  nuns,  from  whom  she  had  borrowed 
them,  and  they  were  probably  as  much  surprised  to  find  them 
again,  as  they  had  before  been  at  losing  them. 

Jane  once  found  an  opportunity  to  fill  her  apron  with  a  quan- 
tity of  fine  apples,  caWad  fameusea^  which  came  in  her  way,  and, 
hastening  up  to  the  sleeping-room,  hid  them  under  my  bed. 
Then,  coming  down,  she  informed  me,  and  we  agreed  to  apply 
for  leave  to  make  our  elevens,  as  it  is  called.  The  meaning  of 
this  is,  to  repeat  a  certain  round  of  prayers,  for  nine  days  in  suc- 
cession, to  some  saint  we  choose  to  address  for  assistance,  in  be- 
coming mpre  charitable,  affectionate  or  something  else.  We 
easily  obtained  permission,  and  hastened  up-stairs  to  begin  our 
nine  days'  feast  on  the  apples ;  when,  much  to  our  surprise,  they 
had  all  been  taken  away,  and  there  was  no  way  to  avoid  the 
disagreeable  fate  we'  had  brought  upon  ourselves.  Jane  there- 
fore began  to  search  tlie  beds  of  the  other  nuns ;  but  not  find- 
ing any  trace  of  the  apples,  she  became  doubly  vexed  and  stuck 
pins  in  those  which  belonged  to  her  enemies. 

When  bedtime  came,  they  were  much  scratched  in  getting  in 
bed,  which  made  them  break  silence,  and  that  subjected  them  to 
penances. 


84 


AWFUL    DISCLOSURES. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


Jane  Ray's  Tricks  continued— The  Broomstick  Ghost— Bleep-walking— Salted  Cider 
—Changing  Beds— Objects  of  some  of  her  Trick»— Peigned  Humility— Alarm— 
Treatment  of  a  new  Nun- A  nun  made  by  stratagem. 

One  night,  Jane,  who  had  been  sweeping  the  sleeping-room, 
for  a  penance,  dreseed  up  the  broom-stick,  when  she  had  com- 
pleted her  work,  with  a  white  cloth  on  the  end,  so.  tied  as  to 
resemble  an  old  woman  dressed  in  white,  with  long  arms  stick- 
ing out.  This  she  stuck  through  a  broken  pane  of  glass,  and 
placed  it  so  that  it  appeared  to  be  looking  in  at  the  window,  by 
the  font  of  holy  water.  There  it  remained  nntil  the  nuns  came 
up  to  bed.  The  first  who  stopped  at  the  font,  to  dtp  her  finger 
in,  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  singular  object,  and  started  with  ter- 
ror. The  next  was  equally  terrified,  as  she  approached,  and  the 
next  and  the  next. 

We  all  believed  in  ghosts ;  and  it  was  not  wonderful  that  such 
an  object  should  cause  alarm,  especially  as  it  was  but  a  short 
time  after  the  death  of  one  of  the  nuns.  Thus  the^went  on, 
each  getting  a  fright  in  turn,  yet  all  afraid  to  speak.  fA.t  length, 
one  more  alarmed,  or  with  less  presence  of  mind  than  the  rest, 
exclaimed,  **  Oh,  mon  Dieu !  Je  ne  me  couoherais  pas  1"  When 
the  night-watch  called  out,  "  Who's  that?"  'She  confessed  she 
had  broken  silence,  but  pointed  at  the  cause ;  and  then,  all  the 
nuns  assembling  at  a  distance  from  the  window,  Jane  offered  to 
advance  boldly,  and  ascertain  the  nature  of  the  apparition,  which 
they  thought  a  most  resolute  intention.  We  all  stood  looking  on, 
when  she  stepped  to  the  window,  drew  in  the  broomstick,  and 
showed  us  the  ridiculous  puppet,  which  had  alarmed  so  many 
superstitious  fears. 

0ome  of  her  greatest  feats  she  performed  as  a  sleep  walker. 
Whether  she  ever  walked  in  her  sleep  or  not,  I  am  unable  with 


BLACK     NUNNERY. 


85 


»•■*; 


certainty,  to  say.  She  however  often  imposed  upon  the  Supe- 
rior and  old  nuns,  by  making  them  think  so,  when  I  knew  she 
did  not ;  and  yet,  I  cannot  positively  say  that  she  always  did. 
I  have  remarked,  that  one  of  the  old  nuns  was  always  placed  in 
our  sleeping-room  at  night,  to  watch  us.  Sometimes  she  would 
be  inattentive,  and  sometimes  fall  into  a  doze.  Jane  Bay  often 
seized  such  times  to  rise  from  her  bed,  and  walk  about,  occasion- 
ally seizing  one  of  the  nuns  in  bed,  in  order  to  frighten  her. 
This  she  generally  affected ;  and  many  times  we  have  all  been 
awakened,  by  screams  of  terror.  In  our  alarm,  some  of  us  fre- 
quently broke  silence,  and  gave  occasion  to  the  Superior  to  lay  us 
under  penances.  Many  times,  however,  we  escaped  with  a  mere 
reprimand,  while.  Jane  usually  received  expressions  of  compas- 
sion : — "  Poor  creatnre !  she  would  not  do  so  if  she  were  in  per- 
fect possession  of  her  reason."  And  Jane  displayed  her  custom- 
ary artfulness,  in  keeping  up  the  false  impression.  As  soon  as 
she  perceived  that  the  old  nun  was  likely  to  observe  her,  she 
would  throw  her  arms  about,  or  appear  unconscious  of  what  she 
was  doing,  falling  upon  a  bed,  or  standing  stock-still,  until  exer- 
tions had  been  made  to  rouse  her  from  her  supposed  lethargy. 

We  were  once  allowed  to  drink  cider  at  dinner,  which  was 
quite  an  extraordinary  favour.  Jane,  however,  on  account  of  her 
negligence  of  all  work,  was  denied  the  privilege,  which  she 
much  resented.  The  next  day  when  dinner  arrived,  we  began 
to  taste  oxff  new  drink,  but  it  was  so  salt  we  could  not  swallow 
it.  Those  of  us  who  at  first  discovered  it,  were,  as  usual,  afraid 
to  speak ;  but  we  set  down  our  cups,  and  looked  round,  till  the 
others  made  the  same  discovery,  which  they  all  soon  did,  and  most 
of  them  in  the  same  manner.  Some,  however,  at  length,  taken 
by  surprise,  uttered  some  ludicrous  exclamation,  on  tasting  the 
salted  cider,  and  then  an  old  nun,  looking  cross,  would  cry  out : — 

"  Ah!  tu  oasses  la  silence  1"    (Ah !  you've  broken  silence.) 

And  thus  we  soon  got  a-laughing,  beyond  our  power  of  sup- 
pressing it.  At  recreation,  that  day,  the  first  question  asked  hy 
many  of  us,  was,  "  How  did  you  like  your  cider  ?" 

Jane  Bay  never  had  a  fixed  place  to  sleep  in.  When  the 
weather  began  to  grow  warm  in  the  spring,  she  usually  pushed 
some  bed  out  of  its  plaoe,  near  a  window,  and  put  her  own 


t  5f 


If 


J  ' 


86 


AWFUL    DISCLOSURES. 


beside  it ;  and  when  the  winter  approached,  she  would  choose 
a  spot  near  the  stove,  and  occnpy  it  with  her  bed,  in  spite  of  all 
remonstrance.  We  were  all  convinced  that  it  was  generally  best 
to  yield  to  her. 

She  was  often  set  to  work,  in  different  ways ;  but,  whenever 
she  was  dissatisfied  with  doing  any  thing,  would  devise  some 
trick  that  would  make  the  Superior,  or  old  nuns,  drive  her  off ; 
and  whenever  any  suspicion  was  expressed,  of  her  being  in  her 
right  mind,  she  would  say,  that  she  did  not  know  what  she  was 
doing ;  that  all  the  difficulty  arose  from  her  repeating  pn;yers 
too  much,  which  wearied  and  distracted  her  mind. 

I  was  once  directed  to  assist  Jane  Ray,  in  shifting  the  beds  of 
the  iiuns.  When  we  came  to  those  of  some  of  the  sisters,  whom 
she  most  disliked,  she  said,  now  we  will  pay  them  for  some  of 
the  penances  we  have  suffered  on  their  account ;  and  taking 
some  thistles,  she  mixed  them  with  the  straw.  At  night,  the 
first  of  them  who  got  into  bed,  felt  the  thistles,  and  cried  out. 
The  night-watch  exclaimed,  as  usual,  '^  You  are  breaking  silence 
there."  And  then  another  screamed,  as  she  was  scratched  by 
the  thistles,  and  another.  The  old  nun  then  called  on  all  who 
had  broken  silence  to  rise,  and  ordered  them  to  sleep  under  their 
beds,  as  a  penance,  which  they  silently  complied  with.  Jane 
and  I  afterward  confessed,  when  it  was  all  over,  and  took  some 
trifling  penance  which  the  priest  imposed. 

Those  nuns  who  fell  most  under  the  displeasure  of  mad  Jane 
Bay,  as  I  have  intimated  before,  were  those  who  had  the  repu- 
tation of  being  most  ready  to  inform  of  the  trifling  faults  of  others 
and  especially  those  who  acted  without  any  regard  to  honour,  by 
disclosing  what  they  had  pretended  to  listen  to  in  confidence. 
Several  of  the  worst«^tempered  "  saints"  she  held  in  abhorrence ; 
and  I  have  heard  her  say,  that  such  and  such,  she  abomniated. 
Many  a  trick  did  she  play  upon  these,  some  of  which  were  pain- 
ful to  them  in  their  consequences,  and  a  good  number  of  them 
have  never  been  traced  to  this  day.  Of  all  the  nuns,  however, 
none  other  was  regarded  by  her  with  so  much  detestation  as  Saint 
Hypolite ;  for  she  was  always  believed  to  have  betrayed  Saint 
Francis,  and  to  have  caused  her  murder.  She  was  looked  upon 
by  us  as  the  voluntary  cause  of  her  death,  and  of  the  crime  which 


BLACK     NUNNERY. 


8t 


those  of  us  committed,  who,  unwillingly,  took  part  in  her  exe- 
cution. We,  on  the  contrary,  being  under  the  worst  of  fears 
for  ourselves,  in  case  of  refusing  to  obey  our  masters  and  mis- 
tress, thouglit  ourselves  chargeable  with  less  guilt,  as  unwilling 
assistants  in  a  scene,  which  it  was  impossible  for  us  to  prevent 
or  delay.  Jane  has  often  spoken  to  me  of  t'/e  suspected  informer, 
and  always  in  terms  of  the  greatest  bitterness. 

The  Superior  sometimes  expressed  commiseration  for  mad  Jane 
Ray,  but  I  never  could  tell  whether  she  really  believed  her 
insane  or  not.  I  was  alw  ays  inclined  to  think  that  she  was  will- 
ing to  T)ut  up  with  some  of  her  tricks,  because  they  served  to 
divert  ?  *r  minds  from  the  painful  and  depressing  circumstances 
in  which  we  were  placed.  I  knew  the  Superior's  powers  and 
habits  of  deception  also,  and  that  she  would  deceive  us  as  will- 
ingly as  any  one  else. 

Sometimes  she  proposed  to  send  Jane  to  St.  Anne^s,  a  place 
near  Quebec,  celebrated  for  the  pilgrimages  made  to  it  by  per- 
sons differently  afflicted.  It  is  supposed  that  some  peculiar  vir- 
tue exists  there,  which  will  restore  health  to  the  sick ;  and  I 
have  heard  stories  told  in  corroboration  of  the  common  belief. 
Many  lame  and  blind  persons, -with  others,  visit  St.  Anne's  every 
year,  some  of  whom  may  be  seen  travelling  on  foot,  and  begging 
their  food.  The  Superior  would  sometimes  say  that  it  was  a 
pity  that  a  woman  like  Jane  Bay,  capable  of  being  so  useful, 
should  be  unable  to  do  her  duties  in  consequence  of  a  malady 
which  she  thought  might  be  cured  by  a  visit  to  St.  Anne's. 

Yet  to  St.  Aime's  Jane  never  was  sent,  and  her  wild  and  vari- 
ous tricks  continued  as  before.  The  rules  of  silence,  which  the 
others  were  so  scrupulous  in  observing,  she  set  at  naught  every 
hour ;  and  as  for  other  rules,  she  regarded  them  with  as  little 
respect  when  they  stood  in  her  way.  She  would  now  and  then 
step  oat  and  stop  the  clock  by  which  onr  exercises  were  regular* 
ted,  and  sometimes,  in  this  manner,  lengthened  out  our  recrea- 
tions till  near  twelve.  At  last  the  old  nuns  began  to  watch 
against  such  a  trick,  and  would  occasionally  go  out  to  see  if  the 
clock  was  going. 

She  once  made  a  request  uiat  she  might  not  eat  with  the  other 
nuns,  which  was  granted,  as  it  seamed  to  proceed  from  a  spirit 


'  I 


t1 


I 


.^' 


88 


AWPUIi     DISCLOSURES 


of  genuine  hnmility,  which  made  her  regard  herself  as  unworthy 
of  our  society. 

It  being  most  convenient,  she  was  sent  to  the  Superior's  table 
to  make  her  meals  after  her ;  and  it  did  not  at  first  occur  to  the 
Superior,  that  Jane,  in  this  manner,  profited  by  the  change,  by 
getting  much  better  food  than  the  rest  of  us.  Thus  there  seemed 
to  be  always  something  deeper  than  anybody  at  first  suspected, 
at  the  bottom  of  everything  she  did. 

She  was  once  directed  to  sweep  a  community-room,  under  the 
sleeping-chamber.  This  oflSce  had  before  been  assigned  to  the 
other  nuns,  as  a  penance;  but  the  Superior,  considering  tliat 
Jane  Bay  did  little  or  nothing,  determined  thus  to  furnish  her 
with  some  employment. 

She  declared  to  us  that  she  would  not  sweep  it  long,  as  we 
might  soon  be  assured.  It  happened  that  the  stove  by  which 
that  community-room  was  warmed  in  the  winter,  had  its  pipe 
carried  through  the  floor  of  our  sleeping-chamber,  and  thence 
across  it,  in  a  direction  opposite  that  in  which  the  pipe  of  our 
stove  was  carried.  It  being  then  warm  weather,  the  first-men- 
tioned pipe  had  been  taken  down,  and  the  hole  left  unstopped. 
After  we  had  all  retired  to  our  beds,  and  while  engaged  in  our 
silent  prayers,  we  were  suddenly  alarmed  by  a  bright  blaze  of 
fire,  which  burst  from  the  hole  in  the  floor,  and  threw  sparks  all 
around  us.  We  thought  the  building  was  burning,  and  uttered 
cries  of  terror  regardless  of  the  penances,  the  fear  of  which 
generally  kept  us  silent. 

The  utmost  confusion  prevailed ;  for  although  we  had  solemnly 
vowed  never  to  flee  from  the  Convent  even  if  it  was  on  fire,  we 
were  extremely  alarmed,  and  could  not  repress  our  feelings.  We 
soon  learnt  the  cause,  for  the  flames  ceased  in  a  moment  or  two, 
and  it  was  found  that  mad  Jane  Ray,  after  sweeping  a  little  in 
the  room  beneath,  had  stuck  a  quantity  of  wet  powder  on  the 
end  of  her  broom,  thrust  it  up  through  the  hole  in  the 
ceiling  into  our  apartment,  and  with  a  lighted  paper  set  it  on 
fire. 

The  date  of  this  ^arm  I  must  refej|  to  a  time  soon  after  that 
of  the  election  riotsf^  for  T  recollect  that  she  found  means  to  get 
possession  of  some  cff  the  powder  which  was  prepared  at  thdt 


.#'- 


m 


BLACK    NUNNERT. 


S9 


time,  for  An  emergency  to  which  some  thought  the  Convent  was 
exposed. 

She  once  asked  for  pen  and  paper,  and  when  the  Superior  told 
her  that  if  she  wrote  to  her  friends  she  must  see  it,  she  replied, 
that  it  was  for  no  such  purpose ;  she  wanted  to  write  her  con- 
fession, and  thus  make  it  once  for  all.  She  wrote  it,  handed  it 
to  the  priest,  and  he  gave  it  to  the  Superior,  who  read  it  to  us. 
It  was  full  of  offences  which  she  had  never  committed,  evidently 
written  to  throw  ridicule  on  confessions,  and  one  of  the  most 
ludicrous  productions  I  ever  saw. 

Our  bedsteads  were  made  with  narrow  boards  laid  across 
them,  on  which  the  beds  were  laid.  One  day,  while  we  were  in 
the  bedchamber  together,  she  proposed  that  we  should  misplace 
these  boards.  This  was  done,  so  that  at  night  nearly  a  dozen 
nuns  fell  down  upon  the  floor  on  getting  into  bed.  A  good  deal 
of  confusion  naturally  ensued,  but  the  authors  were  not  dis- 
covered. I  was  so  conscience-stricken,  however,  that  a  week 
afterward,  while  we  examined  our  consciences  together,  I  told 
her  I  must  confess  the  sin  the  next  day.  She  replied,  "  Do  as 
you  like,  but  you  will  be  sorry  for  it." 

The  next  day,  when  we  came  before  the  Superior,  I  was  just 
going  to  kneel  and  confess,  when  Jane,  almost  without  giving 
me  time  to  shut  the  door,  threw  herself  at  the  Superior's  feet, 
and  confessed  the  trick,  and  a  penance  was  immediate  ly  laid  on 
me  for  the  sin  I  had  concealed. 

There  was  an  old  nun,  who  was  a  famous  talker,  whom  we 
used  to  call  La  M6re,  (Mother).  One  night,  Jane  Ray  r?i  up, 
and  secretly  changed  the  caps  of  several  of  the  nuns,  anu  jers 
among  the  rest.  In  the  morning  there  was  great  confusion,  and 
such  a  scene  as  seldom  occurred.  She  was  severely  blamed  by 
La  Mere,  having  been  informed  against  by  some  of  the  nuns ; 
and  at  last  became  so  much  enraged,  that  she  attacked  the  old 
woman,  and  even  took  her  by  the  throat.  La  M^re  called  on 
all  present  to  come  to  her  assistance,  and  several  nuns  interfered. 
Jane  seized  the  opportunity  afforded  in  the  confusion  to  beat 
some  of  her  worst  enemies  quite  severely,  and  afterwards  said, 
that  she  had  intended  to  kill  some  of  the  rascally  informers. 

For  a  time  Janu  made  us  laugh  so  much  at  prayers,  that  the 


90 


AWFUL    DISCLOSURES. 


Snporior  forbade  lier  going  down  with  us  to  morning  prayers, 
and  she  took  the  opportunity  to  sleep  in  the  morning.  Whei\ 
this  was  found  out,  8he  was  forbidden  to  get  into  her  bed  again 
after  leaving  it,  and  then  she  would  creep  under  it  and  take  a 
nap  on  the  floor.  This  she  told  us  of  one  day,  but  threatened 
us  if  we  ever  betrayed  her.  At  length,  she  was  missed  at  break- 
fast, as  slie  would  sometimes  oversleep  herself,  and  the  Superior 
began  to  bo  more  strict,  and  always  inquired,  in  the  mornin  g 
whether  Jane  Bay  was  in  her  place.  When  the  question  was 
general,  none  of  us  answered ;  but  when  it  was  addressed  to 
some  nun  near  her  by  name,  as, 

^^ Saint  Eustace,  is  Jane  Bay  in  her  place?"  then  we  had  to 
reply. 

Of  all  the  scenes  that  occurred  during  my  stay  in  the  Convent, 
there  was  none  which  excited  the  delight  of 'Jane  more  than  one 
which  took  place  in  the  chapel  one  day  at  moss,  though  I  never 
hbd  any  particular  reason  to  suppose  that  she  had  brought  it 
abont. 

Some  person,  unknown  to  me  to  this  day,  had  put  some  sub- 
stance or  other,  of  a  most  nauseous  smell,  into  the  hat  of  a  little 
boy,  who  attended  at  the  altar,  and  he,  without  observing  the 
trick,  put  it  upon  his  head.  In  the  midst  of  the  ceremonies  he 
approached  some  of  the  nuns,  who  were  almost  suffocated  with 
the  odour ;  and  as  he  occasionally  moved  from  place  to  place 
some  of  them  began  to  beckon  to  him  to  stand  farther  off,  and 
to  hold  their  noses,  with  looks  of  disgust.  The  boy  was  quite 
unconscious  of  the  cause  of  the  difficulty,  and  paid  them  no 
attention ;  but  the  confusion  soon  became  so  great,  through  the 
distress  of  some,  and  the  laughing  of  others,  that  the  Superior 
noticed  the  circumstance,  and  beckoned  to  the  boy  to  withdraw. 
All  attempts,  however,  to  engage  ns  in  any  work,  prayer,  or 
meditation,  were  found  ineffectual.  Whenever  the  circumstances 
in  the  chapel  came  to  mind,  we  would  laugh  out.  We  had  got 
into  such  a  state,  that  we  could  not  easily  restrain  ourselves. 
The  Superior,  yielding  to  necessity,  allowed  us  recreation  for  the 
whole  day. 

The  Superior  used  sometimes  to  send  Jane  to  instruct  the 
novices  in  their  English  prayers.    She  would  proceed  to  her  task 


we  bad  to 


BLACK     .GUNNERY. 


M 


with  all  seriousness ;  but  sometimes  cbose  tbe  most  ridicnions, 
as  well  as  irreverent  passages,  from  songs,  and  otber  things, 
which  she  had  brforo  somewhere  learnt,  which  would  set  us,  who 
uadorstoud  her,  laughing.  One  of  her  rhymes,  I  recollect,  began 
with  : 

"The  Lord  of  love,  look  from  abovei 
Upon  this  turki^  hen." 

Jane  for  a  time  slept  opposite  me,  and  often  in  the  night  would 
rise,  unobserved,  and  slip  into  ray  bed,  to  talk  with  me,  which 
she  did  in  a  low  whisper,  and  return  again  with  equal  caution. 

Blie  would  tell  me  of  the  tricks  she  had  played,  and  such  as 
she  meditated,  and  sometimes  make  me  laugb  so  loud,  that  I 
had  nnich  to  do  in  the  morning  with  begging  pardons,  and  doing 
peuances. 

One  winter's  day,  she  was  sent  to  light  a  j5re ;  but  after  she 
had  done  so,  remarked  privately  to  some  of  us :  "  My  fingers 
were  too  cold — you'll  see  if  I  do  it  again." 

The  next  day,  there  was  a  great  stir  in  the  house,  because  it 
was  said  that  mad  Jane  Bay  had  been  seized  with  a  fit  while 
making  a  fire,  and  she  was  taken  up  apparently  Insensible,  and 
conveyed  to  her  bed.  She  complained  to  me,  who  visited  her  in 
the  course  of  the  day,  that  she  was  likely  to  starve,  as  food  was 
denied  her ;  and  I  was  persuaded  to  pin  a  stocking  under  my 
dress,  and  secretly  put  food  into  it  from  the  table.  This  I 
afterward  carried  to  her  and  relieved  her  wants. 

One  of  the  things  which  I  blamed  Jane  most  for,  was  a  dis- 
position to  quarrel  with  any  nun  who  seemed  to  bo  winning  the 
favour  of  the  Superior.  She  would  never  rest  until  she  had 
hronght  such  a  one  into  some  di£Soulty. 

We  were  allowed  but  little  soap ;  and  Jane,  when  sho  found 
her  supply  nearly  gone,  would  take  the  first  piece  she  could  find. 
One  day  there  was  a  general  search  made  for  a  large  piece  thai 
was  missed ;  when,  soon  after  I  had  been  searched,  Jane  Eay 
passed  me  and  slipped  it  into  my  pocket ;  she  was  soon  after 
searched  herself,  and  then  secretly  came  for  it  again. 

While  I  recall  these  particulars  of  our  nunnery,  and  refer  so 
often  to  the  conduct  and  language  of  one  of  the  nuns,  I  cannot 


!; 


I' 


ii: 


Si 


I 


i 


';!::) 


^ 


■m 


I 


I 


:f.: 


Ml'!  I 


92 


A  W  F  I-  L     DISCLOSURES. 


spcnk  of  801110  things  which  I  believed  or  suspected,  on  acconnt 
of  my  want  of  Hutllcieiit  knowledge.  But  it  is  a  pity  you  have 
not  Jano  Kay  for  a  witness;  alio  knows  many  things  of  which  I 
am  ignorant.  She  must  bo  in  possession  of  facts  that  should  be 
known.  Her  long  residence  in  the  Convent,  her  habits  of  roam- 
ing about  it,  and  of  observing  every  thing,  must  have  made  her 
acquainted  with  things  which  would  be  lieard  with  interest.  I 
always  felt  as  if  ehe  knew  everything.  She  would  often  go  and 
listen,  or  look  through  the  cracks  into  the  Superior's  room,  while 
any  of  the  priests  were  closeted  with  her,  and  sometimes  would 
come  and  tell  me  what  she  witnessed.  I  felt  myself  bound  to 
confess  in  such  cases,  and  always  did  so. 

She  knew,  however,  that  I  only  told  it  to  the  priest  or  to  the 
Superior,  and  without  mentioning  the  name  of  my  informant, 
which  I  was  at  liberty  to  withhold,  so  that  she  was  not  found 
out.  I  often  said  to  her,  *^  Don't  tell  me,  Jane,  for  I  must  confess 
it."    She  would  reply : 

"  It  is  better  for  you  to  confess  it  than  for  me."  I  thus  be- 
came, even  against  my  will,  informed  of  scenes,  supposed  by  the 
actors  of  them  to  be  secret. 

Jane  Hay  once  persuaded  me  to  accompany  her  into  the  Supe- 
rior's room,  to  hide  with  her  under  the  sofa,  and  await  the  ap- 
pearance of  a  visitor  whom  she  expected,  that  we  might  over- 
hear what  passed  between  them.  We  had  been  long  concealed, 
when  the  Superior  came  in  alone  and  sat  for  some  time,  when 
fearing  she  might  detect  us  in  the  stillness  which  prevailed,  we 
began  to  repent  of  our  temerity.  At  length  however,  she  sud- 
denly withdrew,  and  thus  afforded  us  a  welcome  opportunity  to 
escape. 

I  was  passing  one  day  through  a  part  of  the  cellar,  where  I 
had  not  often  occasion  to  go,  when  the  toe  of  my  shoe  hit  some- 
thing. I  tripped  and  fell  down.  I  rose  again,  and  holding  my 
lamp  to  see  what  had  caused  my  fall,  I  found  an  iron  ring,  fasten- 
ed to  a  small  square  trapdoor.  This  I  had  the  curiosity  to  raise, 
and  saw  four  or  five  steps  leading  down,  but  there  was  not  light 
enough  to  see  more,  and  I  feared  to  be  noticed  by  somebody  and 
reported  to  the  Superior ;  so  dosing  the  door  again,  I  left  the 
epot    At  first,  I  could  not  imagine  the  use  for  such  a  pas- 


v^' 


BLACK     NUNNERY. 


98 


sago ;  but  it  afterward  occurred  to  roe,  that  this  might  open  to 
Ihe  bubterrauean  passage  to  tiio  Seminary,  for  I  never  before 
cuuld  account  for  the  appearance  of  many  of  tlie  priests,  who 
oi'tou  ai)peared  and  disappeared  among  us,  particularly  at  night, 
wiien  I  know  tlie  gates  were  closed.  They  could,  as  I  now  saw, 
come  up  to  the  door  of  the  Superior's  room  at  any  hour,  then  up 
the  Htairs  into  our  sleeping-room,  or  where  they  chose.  And 
often  they  were  in  our  beds  before  us. 

I  alkrward  ascertained  that  my  conjectures  were  correct,  and 
that  a  secret  communication  was  kept  up,  in  this  manner,  between 
the  two  institutions,  at  the  end  towards  Notre  Dame-street,  at  a 
considerable  depth  under  ground.  I  often  afterward,  met  priests 
in  the  cellar,  when  sent  there  for  coal  and  other  articles,  as  they 
had  to  pass  up  and  dowu  the  common  cellar  stairs  on  their  way. 

My  wearisome  daily  prayers  and  labours,  my  pain  of  body,  and 
depression  of  mind  which  were  so  much  increased  by  penances 
I  had  suffered,  and  those  which  I  constantly  feared,  and  the  feel- 
ings of  shame,  remorse,  and  horror,  which  sometimes  arose, 
brought  me  into  a  state  which  I  cannot  describe. 

In  the  first  place,  my  frame  was  enfeebled  by  the  uneasy 
postures  I  was  required  to  keep  for  so  long  a  time  during 
prayers.  This  alone  I  thought  was  sufficient  to  undermine  my 
health  and  destroy  my  life.  An  hoar  and  a  half  every  morning 
I  had  to  sit  on  the  floor  of  the  community-room,  with  my  feet 
under  me,  my  body  bent  forward,  and  my  head  lionging  on  one 
side— in  a  posture  expressive  of  great  humility,  it  is  true,  but 
very  fatiguing  to  keep  for  such  an  unreasonable  length  of  time. 
Often  I  found  it  impossible  to  avoid  falling  asleep  in  this  posture, 
which  I  could  do  without  detection,  by  bending  a  little  lower 
than  usually.  The  signal  to  rise,  or  the  noise  made  by  the  rising 
of  the  other  nuns,  then  woke  me,  and  I  got  up  with  the  rest 
unobserved. 

Before  we  took  the  posture  just  described,  we  had  to  kneel 
for  a  long  time  without  bending  the  body,  keeping  quite  erect, 
with  the  exception  of  the  knees  only,  with  the  hands  together 
before  the  breast.  This  I  found  the  most  distressing  attitude  for 
me,  and  never  assumed  it  without  feeling  a  sharp  pain  in  ray 
chest,  whioh  I  often  thought  would  soon  lead  me  to  my  grave — 


1l'.|^ 


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94 


AWFUL     DISCLOSURES. 


that  is,  to  the  great  common  reoeplacle  for  the  dead,  under  the 
chapel.  And  this  upright  kneeling  posture  we  were  obliged  to 
resume  as  soon  as  we  rose  from  the  half-sitting  posture  first 
mentioned ;  so  that  I  usually  felt  myself  exhausted  and  near  to 
fainting  before  the  conclusion  of  morning  services. 

I  found  the  meditations  extremely  tedious,  and  often  did  I 
sink  into  sleep  while  we  Were  all  seated  in  silence  on  the  floor. 
When  required  to  tell  my  meditations,  as  it  was  thought  to  be 
of  no  great  importance  what  we  said,  I  sometimiBs  found  I  had 
•nothing  to  tell  but  a  dream,  and  told  that,  which  passed  off  very 
well. 

Jane  Bay  appeared  to  be  troubled  still  more  than  myself  with 
wandering  thoughts ;  and  when  blamed  for  them,  would  reply, 
"  I  begin  very  well ;  but  directly  I  begin  to  think  of  some  old 
friend  of  mine,  and  my  thoughts  go  a-wandering  from  ouo 
country  to  another." 

Sometimes  I  confessed  my  falling  asleep ;  and  often  the  priests 
have  talked  to  me  about  the  sin  of  sleeping  in  time  of  medita- 
tion. At  last,  one  of  them  proposed  to  me  to  prick  myself  with 
a  pin,  which  I  have  often  done,  and  so  roused  myself  for  a  time. 

My  close  confinement  in  the  Convent,  and  the  want  of  oppor- 
tunities to  breathe  the  open  air,  might  have  proved  more 
injurious  to  me  than  they  did,  had  I  not  employed  a  part  of  my 
tlmo  in  more  active  labours  than  those  of  sewing,  &c.,  to  which 
I  was  chiefly  confined.  I  took  part  occasionally  in  some  of  tho 
heav}'^  work,  as  washing,  &o. 

The  events  which  I  am  now  to  relate,  occurred  about  five 
months  after  ray  admission  into  the  Oonvent  as  a  nun ;  but  I 
cannot  fix  the  time  with  precision,  as  I  know  not  of  any  thi;ig 
which  took  place  in  the  world  about  the  same  period.  The 
circumstance  I  clearly  remember;  but,  as  I  liave  elsewhere 
remarked,  we  were  not  accustomed  to  keep  any  account  of 
time. 

Information  was  given  to  us  one  day,  that  another  novice  waa 
to  be  admitted  among  us ;  and  we  were  required  to  remember 
and  mention  her  often  in  our  prayers,  that  she  might  have  faith- 
fulness in  the  service  of  her  holy  spouse.  No  information  was 
given  us  concerning  her  beyond  this  fact :  not  a  word  about  h^r 


BLACK     NUNNKRY 


95 


age,  name,  or  nation.  On  all  siinilar  occasions  the  same  course 
was  pursned,  and  all  that  the  nuns  ever  learnt  concerning  one 
another  was  what  they  might  discover  by  being  together,  aid 
which  usually  amounted  to  little  or  nothing. 

When  ihe  day  of  her  admission  arrived,  though  I  did  not 
witness  the  ceremony  in  the  chapel,  it  was  a  gratification  to  us 
all  on  one  account,  because  we  were  all  released  from  labour, 
and  enjoyed  a  great  recreation-day. 

Our  new  sister,  when  she  was  introduced  to  the  "holy" 
pociety  of  us  "  saints,"  proved  to  be  young,  of  about  the  middle 
size,  and  very  good-looking  for  a  Canadian ;  for  I  soon  ascer- 
tained that  she  was  one  of  my  own  countrywomen.  The  Ca:ia- 
dian  females  are  generally  not  handsome.  I  never  learnt  her 
name,  nor  any  thing  of  her  history.  She  had  chosen  Saint 
Martin  for  her  nun  name.  She  was  admitted  in  the  morning, 
and  appeared  melancholy  all  day.  This  I  observed  was  always 
the  case ;  and  the  remarks  made  by  others,  led  mo  to  believe 
that  they,  and  all  they  had  seen,  had  felt  sad  and  miserable  for  a 
longer  or  shorter  time.  Even  the  Superior,  as  it  may  bo 
recollected,  confessed  to  me  that  she  had  experienced  the  same 
feelings  when  she  was  received.  When  bedtinie  arrived,  she 
proceeded  to  the  chamber  with  the  rest  of  ns,  and  was  assigned 
a  bed  on  the  side  of  the  room  opposite  my  own,  and  a  little 
beyond.  The  nuns  were  all  soon  in  bed,  the  usual  silence 
ensued,  and  I  was  making  my  customary  mental  prayer  and 
composing  myself  to  sleep,  when  I  heard  the  most  piercing  and 
heart-rending  shrieks  proceed  from  our  new  comrade.  Every 
nnn  seemed  to  rise  as  if  by  one  impulse,  for  no  one  could  hear 
each  sounds,  especially  in  such  total  silence,  without  being  greatly 
excited.  A  general  noise  succeeded,  for  many  voices  •ipoke 
together,  uttering  cries  of  surprise,  compassion,  or  fear.  It  was 
in  vain  for  the  night-watch  to  expect  silence :  for  once  we  forgot 
rules  and  penances,  and  gave  vent  to  our  feelings,  and  she  could 
do  nothing  but  call  for  the  Superior.  Strange  as  it  may  seem, 
mad  Jane  Ray,  who  found  an  opportunity  to  make  herself  heard 
for  an  instant,  uttered  an  exclamation  in  English,  which  so  far 
from  expressing  any  sympathy  for  the  sufferer,  seemed  to  b6tray 
feelings  hardened  to  the  last  degree  against  oonscienoe  and 


96 


AWFUL     DISCLOSURES. 


sLarae.  This  caused  a  laugh  among  poine  of  those  who  under- 
stood her,  and  had  become  hardened  to  their  own  trials,  and  of 
course  in  a  great  measure  to  those  of  others. 

I  heard  a  man's  voice  mingled  with  the  cries  and  shrieks  of 
the  nun.  Father  Quiblier,  of  the  Seminary,  I  had  felt  confident, 
was  in  the  Superior's  room  at  the  time  when  we  retired ;  and 
several  .of  the  nuns  afterward  assured  me  that  it  was  he.  The 
Superior  soon  made  her  appearance,  and  in  a  harsh  manner 
commanded  silence.  I  heard  her  threaten  gagging  her,  and  thou 
say,  "  You  are  no  better  than  anybody  else,  and  if  you  do  not. 
obey,  you  shall  be  sent  to  the  cells." 

One  young  girl  was,- taken,  into  the  Convent  during  my  abode 
there,  under  peculiar  circumstances.  I  was  acquainted  with  the 
whole  affair,  as  I  was  employed  to  act  a  part  in  it. 

Among  the  novices,  was  a  young  lady  of  about  seventeen,  the 
daughter  of  an  old  rich  Oanadian.  She  had  been  remarkable 
for  nothing  that  I  know  of,  except  the  liveliness  of  her  disposi- 
tion. The  Superior  once  expressed  to  us  a  wish  to  have  her 
take  the  veil,  though  the  girl  herself  had  never  had  any  such 
intention,  that  I  knew  of.  Why  the  Superior  wished  to  receive 
her,  I  could  only  conjecture.  One  reason  might  have  been,  that 
she  expected  to  receive  a  considerable  sum  from  her  father.  She 
was,  however,  strongly  desirous  of  Having  the  girl  in  our  com- 
munity, and  one  day  said :  "  Let  us  take  her  in  by  a  trick,  and 
tell  the  old  man  she  felt  too  humble  to  take  the  veil  in  public." 

Our  plans  then  being  laid,  the  unsuspecting  girl  was  induced 
by  us,  in  sport,  as  we  told  her,  and  made  her  believe,  to  put  on 
such  a  splendid  robe  as  I  had  worn  on  my  admission,  and  to  pass 
through  some  of  the  ceremonies  of  taking  the  veil.  After  this, 
she  was  seriously  inrormed,  that  she  was  considered  as  having 
entered  the  Gonvent  in  earnest,  and  must  henceforth  bury  her- 
self to  the  world,  as  she  would  never  be  allowed  to  leave  it.  TVo 
put  on  her  a  nun's  dress,  though  she  wept,  and  refused,  aud 
expressed  the  greatest  repugnance.  The  Superior  threatened, 
and  promised,  and  flattered,  by  turns,  until  the  poor  girl  had  to 
submit ;  but  her  appearance  long  showed  that  she  was  a  nun 
only  bj  compulsion. 

In  obedience  to  the  directions  of  the  Superior,  we  exerted 


who  under- 
rials,  and  of 

d  shrieks  of 
elt  confident, 
retired;  and 
jv^as  he.  The 
larsh  manner 
her,  and  thou 
if  you  do  not 

ing  iny  ahode 
nted  with  the 

seventeen,  the 
an  remarkable 
of  her  disposi- 
3hto  have  her 
■  had  any  such 
ihed  to  receive 
lave  been,  that 
)r  father.    She 
,rl  in  our  corn- 
by  a  trick,  and 
reil  in  public." 
•Iwas  induced 
teve,  to  put  on 
Lob,  and  to  pass 
)il.    After  this, 
jred  as  having 
forth  buryher- 
lo  leave  it.    We 
id  refused,  and 
tor  threatened, 
>oor  girl  had  to 
she  -was  a  nun 

lor,  we 


BLACK    NUNNERY, 


m 


ourselves  to  make  her  contented,  especially  when  she  was  first 
received,  when  we  got  round  her,  and  told  her  we  had  felt  so 
for  a  time,  but  having  since  become  acquainted  with  the  happi- 
ness of  a  nun's  life,  were  perfectly  content  and  would  never 
bo  willing  to  leave  the  Convent.  An  exception  seemed  to  be 
made  in  her  favor,  in  one  respect :  for  *I  believe  no  criminal 
attempt  was  made  upon  her,  until  she  had  been  some  time  an 
inmate  of  the  nunnery. 

Soon  after  her  receptioa,  or  rather  her  forcible  entry  into  the 
Oonvent,  her  fatlier  called  to  make  inquiry  about  his  daughter. 
The  Superior  first  spoke  with  him  herself,  and  then  called  us  to 
repeat  her  plausible  story,  which  I  did  with  accuracy.  If  I  had 
wished  to  say  any  thing  else,  I  never  should  have  dared. 

We  told  the  foolish  old  man,  that  his  daughter,  whom  we  all 
loved,  had  long  desired  to  become  a  Nun,  but  had  been  too 
humble  to  wish  to  appear  before  spectators,  and  had,  at  her  own 
desire,  been  favored  with  a  private  admission  into  the  commu- 
nity. 

The  benefit  conferred  upon  himself  and  hb  family,  by  this  act 
of  self-consecration,  I  reminded  him,  must  be  truly  great  and 
valuable ;  as  every  family  which  furnishes  a  priest,  or  a  nnn,  is 
justly  looked  upon  as  receiving  the  pecnliiyr  favor  of  heaven  on 
thfit  account.  The  old  Canadian  firmly  believed  every  word  I 
was  f<»ced  to  tell  him,  took  the  event  as  a  great  blessing,  and 
eicpressed  the  greatest  readiness  to  pay  more  than  the  customary 
fee  to  the  Oonvent,  After  the  interview,  he  withdrew,  promis- 
ing soon  to  return  and  pay  a  handsome  sum  to  the  convent,  which 
he  performed  with  all  despatch,  and  the  greatest  cheerfhlness. 
The  poor  girl  never  heard  that  her  father  I^d  tidcen  the  trouble 
to  call  to  see  her,  much  less  did  she  know  any  thing  of  the 
imposition  passed  upon  him.  She  remained  in  the  Convent 
when  I  left  it. 

The  youngest  girl  who  ever  took  the  veil  of  onr  sisterhood, 
was  only  fourteen  years  of  age,  and  oonsidered  very  pious.  She 
lived  bat  a  short  time.  I  was  told  that  she  waa  ill-treated  by 
the  priestBi  and  believe  her  death  was  in  oonseqnenoe.    %", 


ff 


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98 


AWFUL     DISCLOSURES. 


CHAPTER  XV. 


Lv 


W?! 


Influencing  Novices— Difficulty  of  convincing  persona  from  the  United  States- 
Tale  of  the  Bishop  in  the  City— The  Bishop  in  the  Convent- The  Prisoners  in  the 
Cells— Practice  in  Singing— Narratives— Jane  Ray's  Hymns— The  Superior's  best 
Trick. 

It  was  considered  a  great  duty  to  exert  ourselves  to  influence 
novices  in  favor  of  the  Eoman  Catholic  religion ;  and  different 
nuns,  were,  at  different  times,  charged  to  do  what  they  could, 
by  conversation,  to  make  favourable  impressions  on  the  minds 
of  some,  who  were  particularly  indicated  to  us  by  the  Superior. 
I  often  heard  it  remarked,  that  those  who  were  influenced  with 
the  greatest  diflSculty,  were  young  ladies  from  the  United  States ; 
and  on  some  of  those,  great  exertions  were  made. 

Cases  in  which  citizens  of  the  States  were  said  to  have  been 
converted  to  the  Eoman  Catholic  faith,  were  sometimes  spoken 
of,  and  always  as  if  they  were  considered  highly  important. 

The  Bishop,  as  we  were  told,  was  on  the  public  square,  on 
the  day  of  an  execution,  when,  as  be  said,  a  stranger  looked  at 
him  in  some  peculiar  manner,  which  made  him  confidently  believe 
God  intended  to  have  him  converted  by  his  means.  When  he  went 
home,  he  wrote  a  letter  for  him,  and  the  next  day  found  him 
again  in  the  same  place,  and  gave  him  the  letter,  which  led  to 
his  becoming  a  Boman  Catholic.  This  man,  it  was  added,  proved 
to  be  a  citizen  of  the  States. 

The  Bishop,  as  I  have  remarked,  was  not  very  dignified  on  all 
occasions,  and  sometimes  acted  in  such  a  manner  as  would  not 
have  appeared  well  in  public. 

One  day  I  saw  him  preparing  for  mass ;  and  because  he  had 
some  difficulty  in  getting  on  his  robe,  showed  evident  signs  of 
anger.  One  of  the  nuns  remarked :  "  The  Bishop  is  going  to 
perform  a  passionate  mass."    Some  of  the  others  exclaimed: 


BLACK     NUNNERY 


99 


m 


"Are  you  uot  ashamed  to  speak  so  of  my  lord!"    And  she  was 
rewarded  with  a  penance. 

But  it  might  be  hoped  that  the  Bishop  would  be  free  from  the 
crimes  of  which  I  have  declared  so  many  priests  to  have  been 
guilty.  I  am  far  from  entertaining  such  charitable  opinions  of 
Lira ;  and  I  had  good  reasons,  after  a  time. 

I  was  often  required  to  sleep  on  a  sofa,  in  the  room  of  the 
present  Superior,  as  I  may  have  already  mentioned. 

One  night,  not  Jong  after  I  was  first  introduced  there,  for  that 
purpose,  and  within  the  first  twelve  months  of  my  weai'ing  the 
veil,  having  retired  as  usual,  at  about  half-past  nine,  not  long 
after  we  had  got  into  bed,  the  alarm-bell  from  without,  which 
hangs  over  the  Superior's  bed,  was  rung.  She  told  me  to  see 
who  was  there;  and  going  down,  I  heard  the  signal  given, 
which  I  have  before  mentioned,  a  peculiar  kind  of  hissing  sound 
made  through  the  teeth.  I  answered  with  a  low,  "Hum — hum ;" 
and  then  opened  the  door.  It  was  Bishop  Lartique,  the  present 
Bishop  of  Montreal.  He  said  to  me,  "  Are  you  a  N'ovice  or  a 
Received?"  meaning  a  Received  nun.  I  answered  a  "Received." 

He  then  requested  me  to  conduct  him  to  the  Superior's  room, 
which  I  did.  He  went  to  the  bed,  drew  the  curtains  behind 
him,  and  I  lay  down  again  upon  the  sofa,  until  morning,  when 
the  Superior  called  me,  at  an  early  hour,  about  daylight,  and 
directed  me  to  show  him  the  door,  to  which  I  conducted  him, 
and  he  took  his  departure. 

I  continued  to  visit  the  cellar  frequently,  to  carry  up  coal  for 
the  fires,  without  anything  more  than  a  general  impression  that 
there  were  two  nuns,  somewhere  imprisoned  in  it.  One  day 
while  there  on  my  usual  errand,  I  saw  a  nun  standing  on  the 
right  of  the  cellar,  in  front  of  one  of  the  cell  doors  I  had  before 
observed;  she  was  apparently  engaged  with  something  within. 
This  attracted  my  attention.  The  door  appeared  to  close  in  a 
small  recess,  and  was  fastened  with  a  stout  iron  bolt  on  the  out- 
side, the  end  of  which  was  secured  by  being  let  into  a  hole  in 
the  stone-work  which  formed  the  posts.  The  door,  which  was 
of  wood,  was  sunk  a  few  inches  beyond  the  stone-work,  which 
rose  and  formed  an  arch  overhead.    Above  the  bolt  was  a  small 


wM 


mi 


100 


AWFUL     DISOLOSURES. 


window  sapplied  with  a  fine  grating,  which  swung  open,  a  small 
bolt  having  been  removed  from  it,  on  the  outside.  The  nun  I 
had  observed  seemed  to  be  whispering  with  some  person  within, 
through  the  little  window :  but  I  hastened  to  get  my  coal,  and 
left  the  cellar,  presuming  that  was  the  prison.  "When  I  visited 
the  place  again,  being  alone,  I  ventured  to  the  spot,  determined 
to  learn  the  truth,  presuming  that  the  imprisoned  nuns,  of  whom 
the  Superior  had  told  me  on  my  admission,  were  confined  there. 
I  spoke  at  the  window  where  I  had  seen  the  nun  standing,  and 
heard  a  voice  reply  in  a  whisper.  The  aperture  was  so  small, 
and  the  place  so  dark,  that  I  could  see  nobody ;  but  I  learnt 
that  a  poor  wretch  was  confined  there  a  prisoner.  I  feared  that 
I  might  be  discovered,  and  after  a  few  words,  which  I  thought 
could  do  no  harm,  I  withdrew. 

My  curiosity  was  now  alive,  to  learn  every  thing  I  could 
about  so  mysterious  a  subject.  I  made  a  few  inquiries  of  Saint 
Xavier,  who  only  informed  me  that  they  were  punished  for 
refusing  to  obey  the  Superior,  Bishop,  and  Priests.  I  afterward 
found  that  the  other  nuns  were  acquainted  with  the  fact  I  had 
just  discovered.  All  I  could  learn,  however,  was,  that  the 
prisoner  in  the  cell  whom  I  had  spoken  with,  and  another  in  the 
cell  just  beyond,  had  been  confined  there  several  years  without 
having  been  taken  out ;  but  their  names,  connexions,  offences, 
and  everything  else  relating  to  them,  I  could  never  lewn,  and 
am  still  as  ignorant  of  as  ever.  Some  conjectured  that  they  had 
refused  to  comply  with  some  of  the  rules  of  the  Convent  or 
requisitions  of  the  Superior;  others,  that  they  were  heiresses 
whose  property  was  desired  for  the  convent,  and  who  would 
not  consent  to  sign  deeds  of  it.  Some  of  the  nuns  informed  me, 
that  the  severest  of  their  sufferings  arose  from  fear  of  superna- 
tural beings. 

I  often  spoke  with  one  of  them  in  passing  near  their  cells, 
when  on  errands  in  the  cellar,  but  never  ventured  to  stop  long, 
or  to  press  my  inquiries  very  far.  Besides,  I  found  her  reserved, 
and  little  disposed  to  converse  freely,  a  thing  I  could  not  wonder 
at  when  I  considered  her  situation,  and  the  characters  of  persons 
around  her.    She  spoke  like  a  woman  in  feeble  health,  and  of 


'i\    ' 


BLACK     NUNN  ERY 


101 


broken  spirits.  I  occasionally  saw  other  nuns  speaking  to  tliem^ 
particularly  at  meal-times,  when  they  were  regularly  furnished 
with  food,  which  was  such  as  we  ourselves  ate. 

Their  cells  were  occasionally  cleaned  and  then  the  doors  were 
opened.  I  never  looked  into  them,  but  was  informed  that  the 
ground  was  their  only  floor.  I  presumed  that  they  were  furnish- 
ed with  straw  to  lie  upon,  as  I  always  saw  a  quantity  of  old 
straw  scattered  about  that  part  of  the  cellar,  after  the  cells  had 
been  cleansed.  I  once  inquired  of  one  of  them,  whether  they 
could  converse  together,  and  she  replied  that  they  could,  through 
a  small  opening  between  their  cells,  which  I  could  not  see. 

I  once  inquired  of  the  one  I  spoke  with  in  passing,  whether 
she  wanted  anything,  and  she  replied,  "  Tell  Jane  Bay  I  want  to 
see  her  a  moment  if  she  can  slip  away."  When  I  went  up  I 
took  an  opportunity  to  deliver  my  message  to  Jane,  who  con- 
certed with  me  a  signal  to  be  used  in  future,  in  case  a  similar 
request  should  be  made  through  me.  This  was  a  sly  wink  at 
her  with  one  eye,  accompanied  with  a  slight  toss  of  my  head. 
She  then  sought  an  opportunity  to  visit  the  cellar,  and  was  soon 
able  to  hold  an  interview  with  the  poor  prisoners,  without  being 
noticed  by  any  one  but  myself.  I  afterward  learnt  that  mad 
Jane  Ray  was  not  so  mad,  but  she  could  feel  for  those  miserable 
beings,  and  carry  through  measures  for  their  comfort.  She 
wouldwOften  visit  them  with  sympathizing  words,  and,  when 
necessary,  conceal  part  of  her  food  while  at  table,  and  secretly 
convey  it  into  their  dungeons.  Sometimes  we  would  combine 
for  such  an  object ;  and  I  have  repeatedly  aided  her  in  thus 
obtaining  a  larger  supply  of  food  than  they  had  been  able  to 
obtain  from  othei's. 

I  frequently  thought  of  the  two  nuns  confined  in  the  cells,  and 
occasionally  heard  something  said  about  them,  but  very  little. 
Whenever  I  visited  the  cellar  and  thought  it  safe,  I  went  up  to 
the  first  of  them  and  spoke  a  word  or  two,  and  usually  got  some 
brief  reply,  without  ascertaining  that  any  particular  change  took 
place  with  either  of  them.  The  one  with  whom  I  ever  conver- 
sed, spoke  English  perfectly  well,  and  French  I  thought  as  well. 
I  supposed  she  must  have  been  well  educated,  for  I  could  not 
tell  which  was  her  native  language.    I  remember  that  she  fr©- 


^":'] 


;rt 


it* 


wm 


I  tin* 


'ft'i:! 


102 


AWFUL     DISCLOSURES 


quently  used  these  words  when  I  wished  to  say  more  to  her, 
and  which  alone  showed  that  she  was  constantly  afraid  of  pun- 
ishment :  "  Oh,  there's  somebody  coming — do  go  away  1"  I  have 
been  told  that  the  other  prisoner  also  spoke  Euglish. 

It  was  impossible  for  me  to  form  any  certain  opinion  about  the 
size  or  appearance  of  those  two  miserable  creatures,  for  their  cells 
were  perfectly  dark,  and  I  never  caught  the  Slightest  glimpse 
even  of  their  faces.  It  is  probable  they  were  women  not  above 
the  middle  size,  and  my  reason  for  this  presumption  is  the  fol- 
lowing: I  was  sometimes  appointed  to  lay  out  the  clean  clothes 
for  all  the  nuns  in  the  Convent  on  Saturday  evening,  and  was  al- 
ways directed  to  lay  by  two  suits  for  the  prisoners.  Particular 
orders  were  given  to  select  the  largest  sized  garments  for  seve- 
ral tall  nuns ;  but  nothing  of  the  kind  was  ever  said  in  relation 
to  the  clothes  for  those  in  the  cells. 

I  had  not  been  long  a  veiled  nun,  before  I  requested  of  the  Sti- 
perior  permission  to  confess  to  the  "  Saint  Bon  Pasteur,"  (Holy;, 
Good  Shepherd,)  that  is,  the  mysterious  and  nameless  nun  whom 
I  had  heard  of  while  a  novice.  I  knew  of  several  others  who 
had  confessed  to  her  at  different  times,  and  of  some  who  had 
sent  their  clothes  to  be  touched  by  her  when  they  were  sick; 
and  I  felt  a  desire  to  unburden  my  heart  of  certain  things,  which 
I  was  loath  to  acknowledge  to  the  Superior,  or  any  of  the  priests. 

The  Superior  made  me  wait  a  little,  until  she  could  lu^rtain 
whether  the  "Saint  Bon  Pasteur"  was  ready  to  admit jae;  and 
after  a  time  returned,  and  told  me  to  enter  the  old  nfins*  room. 
That  apartment  has  twelve  beds,  arranged  like  the  berths  of  a 
ship  by  threes ;  and  as  each  is  broad  enough  to  receive  two  per- 
sons, twenty-four  may  be  lodged  there,  which  was  about  the 
number  of  old  nuns  in  the  Convent  during  the  most  of  my  stay 
in  it.  Near  an  opposite  corner  of  the  apartment  was  a  large 
glass  case,  with  no  appearance  of  a  door,  or  other  opening,  la 
any  part  of  it :  and  in  that  case  stood  the  venerable  nun,  in  the 
dress  of  the  community,  with  her  thick  veil  spread  over  her  face, 
so  as  to  conceal  it  entirely.  She  was  standing,  for  the  place  did 
not  allow  room  for  sitting,  and  moved  a  little,  which  was  the 
only  sign  of  life,  as  she  did  not  speak.  I  fell  upon  my  knees  be- 
fore her,  and  began  to  confess  some  of  my  imperfections,  which 


:N':i 


BLACK     NUNN  ERY. 


103 


:  k 


lay  heavy  upon  my  mind,  imploring  her  aid  and  iatercession, 
that  I  uiiijht  be  delivered  from  them.  She  appeared  to  listen  to 
me  with  patience,  but  still  never  returned  a  word  in  reply.  I 
became  much  afiected  as  I  went  on,  and  at  length  began  to  weep 
bitterly ;  and  Avhen  I  withdrew,  was  in  tears.  It  seemed  to  ma 
that  my  heart  was  remarkably  relieved  after  this  exercise,  and 
all  the  requests  I  had  made,  I  found,  as  I  believed,  strictly  ful- 
filled. I  often,  afterward,  visited  the  old  nuns'  room  for  the 
same  purpose,  and  with  similar  results,  so  that  my  belief  in  the 
sanctity  of  the  nameless  nun,  and  my  regard  for  her  intercession 
were  unbounded. 

What  is  remarkable,  though  I  repeatedly  was  sent  into  that 
room  to  dust  it,  or  to  put  it  in  order,  I  remarked  that  the  glass 
case  was  vacant,  and  no  signs  were  to  be  found  either  of  the  nun 
or  of  the  way  by  which  she  had  left  it ;  so  that  a  solemn  con- 
clusion rested  upon  my  mind,  that  she  had  gone  on  one  of  her 
frequent  visits  to  heaven. 

A  priest  would  sometimes  come  in  the  daytime  to  teach  ns 
to  sing,  and  this  was  done  with  some  parade  or  stir,  as  if  it  were 
i^4considered,or  meant  to  be  considered  as  a  thing  of  importance. 

The  instructions,  however,  were  entirely  repetitions  of  the 
words  and  tunes,  nothing  being  taught  even  of  the  first  principles 
of  the  science.  It  appeared  to  me,  that  although  hymns  alone 
weMsung,  the  exercise  was  chiefly  designed  for  our  amusement, 
•  to  rmb  oui^*  spirits  a  little,  which  were  apt  to  become  depressed. 
Mad  Jlme  Bay  certainly  usually  treated  the  whole  thing  as  a 
matter  of  sport,  and  often  excited  those  of  us  who  understood 
English  to  a  great  degree  of  mirth.  She  had  a  very  fine  voice, 
J  which  was  so  powerful  as  generallj'^  to  be  heard  above  the  rest. 
Sometimes  she  would  be  silent  when  the  other  nuns  began; 
and  the  Superior  would  often  call  out,  "  Jane  Ray,  you  don*t 
^  sing."  She  always  had  some  trifling  excuse  ready,  and  common- 
ly appeared  unwilling  to  join  the  rest. 

After  being  urged  or  commanded  by  the  Superior,  she  would 
then  strike  up  some  English  song,  or  profane  parody,  which 
was  rendered  ten  times  more  ridiculous  by  the  ignorance  of  the 
Lady  Superior  and  the  nugority  of  the  nuns.    I  cannot  help 


M 


I' !l 


4';  il 


m 


104 


AWFUL     DISOLOSURIB. 


laughing  now  when  I  remember  how  she  used  to  stand  with 
perfect  composnre  and  sing, 

"  I  wish  I  was  married  and  nothing  to  rue. 
With  plenty  of  money  and  nothing  to  do.*' 

"  Jane  Ray,  yon  don't  sing  right,"  the  Superior  would  exclaim. 
"  Oh,"  she  would  reply,  with  perfect  coolness,  "  that  is  the 
English  for, 

*  Seigneur  Dieu  de  clemenee, 
Ref  ois  ce  grand  p6cbeur ;"  * 

and,  as  sung  by  her,  a  person  ignorant  of  the  language  would 
naturally  be  imposed  upon.  It  was  extremely  difficult  for  me  to 
conceal  my  laughter.  I  have  always  had  greater  exertion  to 
make  in  repressing  it  than  most  other  persons ;  and  mad  Jane 
Bay  often  took  advantage  of  this. 

Saturday  evening  usually  brought  with  it  much  unpleasant 
work  for  some  of  us.  We  received  the  Sacrament  every  Sun- 
day ;  and  in  preparation  for  it,  on  Saturday  evening  we  asked 
pardon  of  the  Superior  and  of  each  other  ^^  for  the  scandal  we 
had  caused  since  we  last  received  the  Sacrament,"  and  then  asked 
the  Superior's  permission  to  receive  it  on  the  following  day. 
She  inquired  of  each  nun  who  necessarily  asked  her  permission, 
whether  she,  naming  her  as  Saint  somebody,  had  conceak^any 
sin  that  should  hinder  her  from  receiving  it ;  and  if  thyf^wer 
was  in  the  negative,  she  granted  her  permission.  ^ 

On  Saturdays  we  were  catechised  by  a  priest,  being  assembled 
in  a  community-room.  He  sat  on  the  right  of  the  door  in  a  choir. 
He  often  told  us  stories,  and  frequently  enlarged  on  the  duty  of 
enticing  novices  into  the  nunnery.  "  Do  you  not  feel  happy," 
he  would  say,  "  now  that  you  are  safely  out  of  the  world,  and 
sure  of  heaven  ?  But  remember  how  many  poor  people  are  yet  ^ 
in  the  world.  Every  novice  you  influence  to  the  black  veil,  will 
add  to  your  honour  in  heaven.    Tell  them  how  happy  you  are." 

The  Superior  played  one  trick  while  I  was  in  the  Convent, 
which  always  passed  for  one  of  the  most  admirable  she  ever 
carried  into  execution.  We  were  pretty  good  judges  in  a 
case  of  this  kind,  for,  as  may  be  presumed,  we  were  rendered 


BliAOK     NUNNERY 


ia5 


familiar  witli  the  arts  of  deception  under  so  accomplished  a 
teacher. 

Tliero  was  an  ornament  on  hand  in  the  nnnuery,  of  an  extra- 
ordinary kind,  which  was  prized  at  ten  ponnds ;  but  it  had  been 
made  and  exposed  to  view  so  bng,  tliat  it  became  damaged  and 
quite  unsaleable.  We  were  one  day  visited  by  an  old  priest 
from  the  country,  who  was  evidently  somewhat  intoxicated; 
and  as  he  withdrew  to  go  to  his  lodgings,  in  the  Seminary,  where 
tlie  country  priests  often  stay,  the  Superior  conceived  a  plan  for 
disposing  of  the  old  ornament,  "  Come,"  said  she,  "  we  will 
send  it  to  the  old  priest,  and  swear  he  has  bought  it  !^' 

We  all  approved  of  the  ingenious  device,  for  it  evidently  might 
be  classed  among  the  pious  frauds  wo  had  so  often  had  recom- 
mended to  US  both  by  precept  and  example ;  and  the  ornament 
was  sent  to  him  the  next  morning,  as  his  property  when  paid  for. 
He  soon  oame  to  the  Convent,  and  expressed  the  greatest  sur- 
prise that  he  had  been  charged  with  purchasing  such  a  thing, 
for  which  he  had  no  need  and  no  desire. 

The  Superior  heard  this  declaration  with  patience,  but  politely 
insisted  that  it  was  a  fair  bargain ;  and  we  then  surrounded  the 
old  priest,  with  the  strongest  assertions  that  such  was  the  fact, 
and  that  nobody  would  ever  have  thought  of  his  purchasing  it 
unless  he  had  expressly  engaged  to  take  it.  The  poor  old  man  was 
enti|i||f  put  down.  He  was  certain  of  the  truth :  but  what  colild 
■he  ido^resist  or  disprove  a  direct  falsehood  pronounced  by  the 
Superior  of  a  Convent,  and  sworn  to  by  all  her  holy  nuns  ? 
He  finally  expressed  his  conviction  that  we  were  right :  he 
was  compelled  to  pay  his  money. 


i','!. 


-J^ 


\i 


il 


m 


6* 


100 


AWFUL    DISCLOSURES. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Fruqdency  of  (ho  Priests'  Visits  to  the  Nunnery— Their  Freedom  and  Grimes — DifS- 
culty  of  learning  their  Names — Their  Holy  Retreat — Objections  in  our  minds- 
Means  used  to  counteract  Conscience — Ingenious  Arguments. 

Some  of  the  priests  from  the  Seminary  were  in  the  nunnery 
every  day  and  night,  and  often  several  at  a  time.  I  Lave  seen 
nearly  all  of  them  at  different  times,  though  there  are  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  in  the  district  of  Montreal.  There  was  a  dif- 
ference in  their  conduct ;  though  I  believe  every  one  of  them 
was  guilty  of  licentiousness ;  while  not  one  did  I  ever  see  who 
maintained  a  character  any  way  becoming  the  profession  of  a 
priest.  Some  were  gross  and  degraded  in  a  degree  which  few 
of  my  readers  can  ever  have  imagined ;  and  I  should  be  unwill- 
ing to  offend  the  eye,  and  corrupt  the  heart  of  any  one,  by  an 
account  of  their  words  and  actions.  Few  imaginations  can  con- 
ceive deeds  so  abominable  as  they  practised,  and  often  required 
of  some  of  the  poor  women,  under  the  fear  of  severe  punish- 
ments, and  even  of  death.  I  do  not  hesitate  to  say  wyJi  the 
strongest  confidence,  that  although  some  of  the  nuns  beoaine  lost 
to  every  sentiment  of  virtue  and  honour,  especially  ^e  from 
the  Goi}gregational  Nunnery  whom  I  have  before  mentioned. 
Saint  Patrick,  the  greater  part  of  them  loathed  the  practices 
to  which  they  were  compelled  to  submit  by  the  Superior  and 
priests,  who  kept  them  under  so  dreadful  a  bondage. 

Some  of  the  priests  whom  I  saw  I  never  knew  by  name,  and  ^ 
the  names  of  others  I  did  not  leurn  for  a  time,  and  at  last  learntlr/ 
only  by  accident. 

They  were  always  called  "  Mon  pere,"  my  father ;  but  some- 
times, when  they  had  purchased  something  in  the  ornament- 
room,  they  would  give  their  real  names,  with  directions  where  it 
should  be  sent.  Many  names,  thus  learnt,  and  in  other  ways, 
were  whispered  about  from  nun  to  nun,  and  became  prdtty 


BLACK     KUNNERY. 


lot 


H 


generally  known.  Several  of  the  priests,  some  of  us  bad  seen 
before  we  entered  the  Couvt  iit. 

Many  tbings  of  wbicli  I  speak,  from  the  nature  of  tbe  case, 
must  necessarily  rest  cliiefly  upon  my  (m  a  word,  until  further 
evidence  can  be  obtaiii'^tl:  but  thero  are  souio  facts  for  wliicb  I 
can  appeal  to  the  knowled^'O  of  others.  It  i«  commonly  known 
in  Montreal  tbat  some  of  the  priests  occasionally  withdraw  from 
their  customary  employments,  and  are  not  to  be  seen  for  Home 
time,  it  being  understood  that  they  have  retired  for  religious 
study,  meditation  and  devotion,  for  the  improveuiont  of  their 
hearts.  Sometimes  they  are  thus  withdrawn  from  the  world  fur 
weeks :  but  there  is  no  fixed  period. 

This  was  a  fact  I  knew  before  I  took  the  veil;  for  it  is  a 
frequent  subject  of  remark,  that  such  or  such  a  Father  is  on  a 
"holy  retreat."  This  is  a  terra  which  conveys  the  idea  of  a 
religious  seclusion  from  the  world  for  satred  purposes.  On  the 
re-appearance  of  the  priest  after  such  a  period,  in  the  church  or 
the  streets,  it  is  natural  to  feel  a  peculiar  impres!<ion  of  his 
devout  character — an  impression  very  diflferent  from  that  con- 
veyed to  the  mind  of  one  who  knows  matters  as  they  really  are. 
Suspicions  have  been  indulged  by  some  in  Canada  on  this  sub- 
ject, and  facts  are  known  by  at  least  a  few.  I  am  able  to  speak 
from  personal  knowledge:  for  I  have  been  a  nun  of  Soear 
Bonrgeoise. 

T^  priests  are  liable,  by  their  dissolute  habits,  to  occasional 
attaclcl  of  disease,  which  render  it  necessary,  or  at  least  pradent, 
to  submit  to  medical  treatment. 

In  the  Black  Nunnery  they  find  private  accommodations,  for 
they  are  free  to  enter  one  of  the  private  hospitals  whenever 
they  please ;  which  is  a  room  set  apart  on  purpose  for  the  accom- 
modation of  the  priests,  and  is  called  a  retreat-room.  But  an 
excuse  is  necessary  to  blind  the  public,  and  this  they  find  is  the 
pretence  that  they  make  of  being  in  a  "Holy  Retreat."  Many 
such  cases  I  have  known ;  and  I  can  mention  the  names  of  priests 
who  have  been  confined  in  this  Holy  Retreat.  They  are  very 
carefully  attended  by  the  Superior  and  old  nuns,  and  their  diet 
mostly  consists  of  vegetable  soups,  &c.,  with  but  little  meat,  and 
that  fresh.    I  have  seen  an  instroment  of  snrgery  laying  upon 


H't' 


■i;': 


108 


AWFUL    DISCLOSURES. 


the  table  in  that  lioly  room,  which  is  nsed  only  for  particular 
purposed. 

Father  Tabeau,  a  Roman  priest,  was  on  one  of  his  holy  retreats 
about  the  time  when  I  lefc  the  nunnery.  There  are  sometimes  a 
number  confined  there  at  the  same  time.  The  victims  of  these 
priests  frequently  share  the  same  fate. 

I  have  often  reflected  how  grievously  I  had  been  deceived  in 
my  opinion  of  a  nun's  condition!  All  the  holiness  of  their 
lives,  I  now  saw,  was  merely  pretended.  The  appearance  of 
sanctity  and  heavenly  miodedness  Which  they  had  shown  among 
us  novices,  I  found  was  only  &  disguise  to  conceal  such  practices 
as  would  not  be  tolerated  in  any  decent  society  in  the  world ; 
and  as  for  peace  and  joy  like  that  of  heaven,  which  I  had 
expected  to  find  among  them,  I  learnt  too  well  that  they  did  not 
exist  there. 

The  only  way  in  which  such  thoughts  were  counteracted,  was 
by  the  constant  instructions  given  ns  by  the  Superior  and  priests, 
to  regard  every  doubt  as  a  mortal  sin.  Other  faults  we  might 
have,  as  we  were  told  over  and  over  again,  which,  though  worthy 
of  penances,  were  far  less  sinful  than  these.  For  a  nuQ  to  doubt 
that  she  was  doing  her  duty  in  fulfilling  her  vows  and  .oaths,  was 
a  heinous  offence,  and  we  were  exhorted  always  to  suppress  our 
doubts,  to  confess  them  without  reserve,  and  cheerfully  to  submit 
to  severe  penances  on  account  of  them,  as  the  only  means  of 
mortifying  car  evil  dispositions,  and  resisting  the  temptatioils  of 
the  devil.  Thus  we  learnt  in  a  good  degree  to  resist  our  minds 
and  consciences,  when  we  felt  the  first  rising  of  a  question  about 
the  duty  of  doing  any  thing  required  of  ns. 

To  enforce  this  upon  us,  they  employed  various  means.  Some 
of  the  most  striking  stories  told  ns  at  catechism  by  the  priests, 
were  designed  for  this  end.  One  of  these  I  will  repeat.  One 
day,  as  a  priest  assured  us  who  was  hearing  us  say  the  catechism 
on  Saturday  afternoon,  as  one  Monsieur  *  *  *  *,  a  well-known 
citizen  of  Montreal,  was  walking  near  the  cathedral,  he  saw 
Satan  giving  orders  to  numerous  evil  spirits  who  had  assembled 
around  him.  Being  afraid  of  being  seen,  and  yet  wishing  to 
observe  what  was  done,  he  hid  himself  where  he  could  observe 
all  that  passed.    Satan  despatched  his  devils  to  different  parts 


BLACK     NU  NNERY. 


109 


f 


of  the  city,  with  directions  to  do  their  best  for  him ;  and  they 
returned  in  a  short  time,  bringing  in  reports  of  their  success  in 
leading  persons  of  different  classes  to  the  commission  of  various 
sins,  which  they  thought  would  be  agreeable  to  their  master. 
Satan,  however,  expressed  his  dissatisfaction,  and  ordered  thera 
out  again ;  but  just  then  a  spirit  from  the  Black  Nunnery  came, 
who  had  not  been  seen  before,  and  stated  that  he  had  been 
trying  for  seven  years  to  persuade  one  of  the  nuns  to  doubt,  and 
had  just  succeeded.  Satan  received  the  intelligence  with  the 
highest  pleasure ;  and  turning  to  the  spirits  around  him,  said : 
"  You  have  not  half  done  your  work — he  has  done  much  more 
than  all  of  you." 

In  spite,  however,  of  our  instructions  and  warnings,  our  fears 
and  penances,  such  doubts  would  intrude;  and  I  have  often 
indulged  them  for  a  time,  and  at  length,  yielding  to  the  belief 
that  I  was  wrong  in  giving  place  to  them,  would  confess  tbem, 
and  undergo  with  cheerfulness  such  new  penances  as  I  was 
loaded  with.  Others  too  would  occasionally  entertain  and 
privately  express  such  doubts;  though  we  all  had  been  most 
solemnly  warned  by  the  cruel  murder  of  Saint  Francis.  Occa- 
sionally some  of  the  nnns  would  go  further,  and  resist  the 
restraints  or  punishments  imposed  upon  them ;  and  it  was  not 
uncommon  to  hear  screams,  sometimes  of  a  most  piercing  and 
terrific  kind,  from  nuns  suffering  under  discipline. 

Some  of  my  readers  may  feel  disposed  to  exclaim  against  me, 
for  believing  things,  which  will  strike  them  as  so  monstrous  and 
abominable.  To  such,  I  would  say,  without  pretending  to  justify 
myself—You  know  little  of  the  position  in  which  I  was  placed : 
in  the  first  place,  ignorant  of  any  other  religious  doctrines ;  and 
in  the  second,  met  at  every  moment  by  some  ingenious  argument, 
and  the  example  of  a  large  community,  who  received  all  the 
instructions  of  the  priests  as  of  undoubted  truth,  and  practised 
upon  them.  Of  the  variety  and  speciousness  of  the  arguments 
used,  you  cannot  have  any  correct  idea.  They  were  often  so 
ready  with  replies,  examples,  anecdotes  and  authorities,  to 
enforce  their  doctrines,  that  it  seemed  to  me  they  could  never 
have  learnt  it  all  from  books,  but  must  have  been  taught  by 
wicked  spirits.    Indeed,  when  I  reflect  upon  their  conversations, 


f  •;:  i: 


■:lWi::"^- 


^Sii,' ;  '!! 


110 


AWFUL     DISCLOSURES 


I  am  astonished  at  their  art  and  address,  and  find  it  difficult  to 
accoant  for  their  subtlety  and  success  in  influencing  my  mind, 
and  persuading  me  to  anything  they  pleased.  It  seems  to  me, 
that  hardly  anybody  would  be  safe  in  their  hands.  If  you  were 
to  go  to  confession  twice,  I  believe  you  would  feel  very  different- 
ly from  what  you  do  now.  They  have  such  a  way  of  avoiding 
one  thing,  and  speaking  of  another,  of  affirming  this,  and  doubt- 
ing or  disputing  that,  of  quoting  authorities,  and  speaking  of 
wonders  and  miracles  recently  performed,  in  confirmation  of 
what  they  teach,  as  familiarly  known  to  persons  whom  they  call 
by  name,  and  whom  they  pretend  to  offer  as  witnesses,  though 
they  never  give  you  an  opportunity  to  speak  with  them — these, 
and  many  other  means,  they  use  in  such  away,  that  they  always 
blinded  my  mind,  and  I  should  think,  would  blind  the  minds  of 
others. 


BLACK     NUNNERY 


HI 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

Treatment  of  young  Infants  in  the  Convent— Talking  in  Sleep— Amusements- 
Ceremonies  at  the  public  interment  of  deceased  Nuns — Sudden  disappearance  of 
the  Old  Superior — Introduction  of  the  nevr  one — Superstition— Alarm  of  a  Nun — 
Difficulty  of  Communication  with  other  Nuns. 

It  will  be  recollected,  that  I  was  informed  immediately  after 
receiving  the  veil,  that  infants  were  occasionally  murdered  in  the 
Convent.  I  was  one  day  in  the  nuns'  private  eick  room,  when  I 
had  an  opportunity,  unsought  for,  of  witnessing  deeds  of  such  a 
nature.  It  was,  perhaps,  a  month  after  the  death  of  Saint 
Francis.  Two  little  twin  babes,  the  children  of  Sainte  Catha- 
rine, were  brought  to  a  pries^  who  was  in  the  room,  for  baptism. 
I  was  present  while  the  ceremony  was  performed,  with  the  Su- 
perior and  several  of  the  old  nuns,  whose  names  1  never  knew, 
they  being  called  Ma  tante.  Aunt. 

The  priests  took  turns  in  attending  to  confession  and  catechism 
in  the  Convent,  usually  three  months  at  a  time,  though  some- 
times longer  periods.  The  priest  then  on  duty  was  Father  Lar- 
kin.  He  is  a  good-looking  European,  and  has  a  brother  who  is  a 
professor  in  the  college.  He  baptized,  and  then  put  oil  upon  the 
heads  of  the  infants,  as  is  the  cHstom  after  baptism.  They  were 
then  taken,  one  after  another,  by  one  of  the  old  nuns,  in  the 
presence  of  us  all.  She  pressed  her  hand  upon  the  month  and 
nose  of  the  first,  so  tight  that  it  could  not  breathe,  and  in  a  few 
minutes,  when  the  hand  was  removed,  it  was  dead.  She  then 
took  the  other,  and  treated  it  in  the  same  way.  Ko  sound  was 
heard,  and  both  the  children  were  corpses.  The  greatest  indif- 
ference was  shown  by  all  present  during  this  operation ;  for  all, 
as  I  well  knew,  were  long  accustomed  to  such  scenes.  The  little 
bodies  were  then  taken  into  the  cellar,  thrown  into  the  pit  I 
have  mentioned,  and  covered  with  a  quantity  of  lime. 


'*  :■;  '  •■ 


1'   'iP'  ill  ] 

h4M 


i  '• .)    ■ 


m 


III 
'I 


i 


112 


AWFUL     DISCLOSURES 


I  afterward  saw  aaother  new-born  infant  treated  in  the  same 
manner,  in  the  some  plaoe ;  but  the  actors  in  the  scene  I  choose 
not  to  name,  nor  the  circamstances,  as  everything  connected  with 
it  is  of  a  peculiarly  trying  and  painful  nature  to  my  own  feelings. 

Tliese  were  the  only  instances  of  infanticide  I  witnessed ;  and 
it  seemed  to  be  merely  owing  to  accident  that  I  was  then  pre- 
sent. So  far  as  I  know,  there  were  no  pains  taken  to  preserve 
secrecy  on  this  subject ;  that  is,  I  saw  no  attempt  made  to  keep 
any  of  the  inmates  of  the  Convent  in  ignorance  of  the  murder 
of  children.  On  the  contrary,  others  were  told,  as  well  as  my- 
self, on  their  first  admission  as  veiled  nuns,  that  all  infants  born 
in  the  place  were  baptized  and  killed,  without  loss  of  time ;  and 
I  had  been  called  to  witness  the  murder  of  the  three  just  men- 
tioned, only  because  I  happened  to  be  in  the  room  at  the  time. 

That  others  were  killed  in  the  same  manner  during  my  stay 
in  the  nunnery,  I  am  well  assured. 

How  many  there  were  I  cannot  tell,  and  having  taken  no  ac- 
count of  those  I  heard  of,  I  cannot  speak  with  precision ;  I  be- 
lieve, however,  that  I  learnt  through  nuns,  that  at  least  eighteen 
or  twenty  infants  were  smothered,  and  secretly  buried  in  tlie 
cellar,  while  I  was  a  nun. 

One  of  the  effects  of  the  weariness  of  our  bodies  and  minds, 
was  our  proneness  to  talk  in  onr  sleep.  It  was  both  ludicrous 
and  painful  to  hear  the  nuns  repeat  their  prayers  in  the  course 
of  the  night,  as  they  frequently  did  in  their  dreams.  Bequired 
to  keep  our  minds  continually  on  the  stretch,  both  in  watching 
our  conduct,  in  remembering  the  rules  and  our  prayers,  under 
the  fear  of  the  consequences  of  any  neglect,  when  we  closed  our 
eyes  in  sleep,  we  often  went  over  again  the  scenes  of  the  day ; 
and  it  was  no  uncommon  thing  for  me  to  hear  a  nun  repeat  one 
oc  two  of  our  long  exercises  in  the  dead  of  night.  Sometimes, 
by  the  time  she  had  finished,  another,  in  a  different  part  of  the 
room,  would  happen  to  take  a  similar  turn,  and  commence  a 
similar  recitation;  and  I  have  known  cases  in  which  several  such 
unconscious  exercises  were  performed,  all  within  an  hour  or  two. 

We  had  now  and  then  a  recreation  day,  when  we  were  relieved 
from  our  customary  labor,  and  from  all  prayers  except  those  for 
morning  and  evening.  The  greater  part  of  oar  time  was  then  ooou-  • 


BLACK    NUNNERY. 


113 


pied  with  different  games,  particularly  backgammon  and  drafts, 
and  in  such  conversation  as  did  not  relate  to  our  past  lives,  and 
the  outside  of  the  Convent.  Sometimes,  however,  our  sports 
would  be  interrupted  on  such  days  by  the  entrance  of  one  of 
the  priests,  who  would  come  in  and  propose  that  his  fete,  the 
birth-day  of  his  patron  saint,  should  be  kept  by  "  the  saints.'* 
We  saints ! 

Several  nuns  died  at  different  times  while  I  was  in  the  Con- 
vent; how  many  I  cannot  say,  but  there  was  a  considerable 
number :  I  might  rather  say,  many  in  proportion  to  the  number 
in  the  nunnery.  The  proportion  of  deaths  I  am  sure  was  very 
large.  There  were  always  some  in  the  nuns'  sick-rooms,  and 
several  interments  took  place  in  the  chapel. 

When  a  Black  nun  is  dead,  the  corpse  is  dressed  as  if  living, 
and  placed  in  the  chapel  in  a  sitting  posture,  within  the  railing 
round  the  altar,  with  a  book  in  the  hand,  as  if  reading.  Per- 
sons are  then  freely  admitted  from  the  street,  and  some  of  them 
kneel  and  pray  before  it.  No  particular  notoriety  is  given,  I 
believe,  to  this  exhibition  out  of  the  Convent;  but  such  a  case 
usually  excites  some  attention. 

The  living  nuns  are  required  to  say  prayers  for  the  delivery  of 
their  deceased  sister  from  purgatory,  being  informed,  as  in  all 
other  such  cases,  that  if  she  is  not  there,  and  has  no  need  of  our 
intercession,  our  prayers  are  in  no  danger  of  being  thrown  away, 
as  they  will  be  set  down  to  the  account  of  some  of  our  departed 
friends,  or  at  least  to  that  of  the  souls  which  have  no  acquaint- 
ances to  pray  for  them. 

It  was  customary  for  us  occasionally  to  kneel  before  a  dead 
nun  thus  seated  in  the  chapel,  and  I  have  often  performed  that 
task.  It  was  always  painful,  for  the  ghastly  countenance  being 
seen  whenever  I  raised  my  eyes,  and  the  feeling  that  the  position 
and  dress  were  entirely  opposed  to  every  idea  of  propriety  in 
such  a  case,  always  made  me  melancholy. 

The  Superior  sometimes  left  the  Convent,  and  was  absent  for 
an  hour,  or  several  hours,  at  a  time,  but  we  never  knew  of  it 
until  she  had  returned,  and  were  not  informed  where  she  bad 
been.  I  one  day  had  reason  to  presume  that  she  had  recently 
paid  a  visit  to  the  priests'  farm,  though  I  had  no  direct  evidence 


'.'S. 


•'Mi:: 


m 

.'Ml 


I 


)■  ■  j 


:     ^1 


iJ-iiv^i:  Hi 


fl'. '  ■ 


'^^ 


1'l<  !!■■!> 


'' 


114 


AWFUL    DISCLOSURES. 


that  such  was  the  fact.  The  priests'  farm  is  a  fine  tract  of  land 
helonging  to  the  Seminary,  a  little  distance  from  the  city,  near 
the  Lachine  road,  with  a  large  old-fashioned  edifice  upon  it.  I 
happened  to  he  in  the  Superior's  room  on  the  day  alluded  to, 
when  she  made  some  remark  on  the  plainness  and  poverty  of 
her  furniture.  I  replied,  that  she  was  not  proud,  and  could  not 
be  dissatisfied  on  that  account;  she  answered — 

"  No ;  but  if  I  was,  how  much  superior  is  the  furniture  at  tho 
priests'  farm  I  the  poorest  room  there  is  furnished  better  than 
the  best  of  mine." 

I  was  one  day  mending  the  fire  in  the  Superior's  room,  when 
a  priest  was  conversing  with  her  on  the  scarcity  of  money ;  and 
I  heard  him  say,  that  very  little  money  was  received  by  the 
priests  for  prayers,  but  that  the  principal  part  came  with  pen- 
ances and  absolutions. 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  and  unaccountable  things  that 
happened  in  the  Convent,  was  the  disappearance  of  the  old 
Superior.  She  had  performed  her  customary  part  during  the 
day,  and  had  acted  and  appeared  just  as  usual.  She  had  shown 
no  symptoms  of  lU  health,  met  with  no  particular  difficulty  in 
conducting  business,  and  no  agitation,  anxiety  or  gloom,  had 
been  noticed  in  her  conduct.  We  had  no  reason  to  suppose  that 
during  that  day  she  had  expected  anything  particular  to  occur, 
any  more  than  the  rest  of  us.  After  the  close  of  our  customary 
labours,  and  evening  lecture,  she  dismissed  us  to  retire  to  bed, 
exactly  in  her  usual  manner.  The  next  morning  the  bell  rung 
we  sprang  from  our  bed,  hurried  on  our  clothes  as  usual,  and 
proceeded  to  the  community-room  in  double  line,  to  commence 
the  morning  exercises.  There,  to  our  surprise,  we  found  Bishop 
Lartigue;  but  the  Superior  was  nowhere  to  be  seen.  The  Bishop 
soon  addressed  us,  instead  of  her,  and  informed  us,  that  a  lady 
near  him,  whom  he  presented  to  us,  was  now  the  Superior  of 
the  Convent,  and  enjoined  upon  us  the  same  respect  and  obedi- 
ence which  we  had  paid  to  her  predecessor. 

The  lady  he  introduced  to^us  was  one  of  our  oldest  nuns,  Saint 
Du  *  *  *  *,  a  very  large,  fleshy  woman,  with  swelled  limbs, 
which  rendered  her  very  slow  in  walking,  and  often  gn"o  her 
great  distress.    Not  a  word  was  dropped  from  which  ,.\^  could 


BLACK    NUNNERT. 


115 


conjecture  the  cause  of  this  change,  nor  of  the  fate  of  the 
old  Superior.  I  took  tlie  first  opportunity  to  inquire  of  one 
of  tlie  nuns,  whom  I  dared  talk  to,  what  had  hecome  of  her ; 
but  I  found  thera  as  ignorant  as  mysell',  though  suspicious  that 
she  had  been  murdered  by  the  orders  of  the  Bisliop.  Kever  did 
I  obtain  any  light  on  her  mysterious  disappearance.  I  am  con- 
fident, however,  that  if  the  Bishop  wished  to  get  rid  of  her  pri- 
vately and  by  foul  means,  he  had  ample  opportunities  and  power 
at  his  command.  Jane  Ray,  as  usual,  could  not  allow  such  an 
occurrence  to  pass  by  without  intimating  her  own  suspicions 
more  plainly  than  any  other  of  the  nuns  would  have  dared  to  do. 
She  spoke  out  one  day,  in  the  community-room,  and  said,  "  I'm 
going  to  have  a  hunt  in  the  cellar  for  my  old  Superior." 

"Hush,  Jane  Ray  1"  exclaimed  some  of  the  nuns,  "you'll  be 
punished." 

"  My  mother  used  to  tell  me,"  replied  Jane,  "  never  to  be 
afraid  of  the  face  of  a  man." 

It  caqnot  be  thought  strange  that  we  were  superstitious. 
Some  were  more  easily  terrified  than  others,  by  unaccountable 
sights  and  sounds ;  but  all  of  us  believed  in  the  power  and  occa- 
sional appearance  of  spirits,  and  were  ready  to  look  for  them  at 
almost  any  time.  I  have  seen  several  instances  of  alarm  caused 
by  such  superstition,  and  have  experienced  it  myself  more  than 
once.  I  was  one  day  sitting  mending  aprons,  beside  one  of  the 
old  nuns,  in  a  community-room,  while  the  litanies  were  repeat- 
ing ;  as  I  was  very  easy  to  laugh.  Saint  Ignace  or  Agnes,  came 
in,  walked  up  to  her  with  much  agitation,  and  began  to  whisper 
in  her  ear.  She  usually  talked  but  little,  and  that  made  mo 
more  curious  to  know  what  was  the  matter  with  her.  I  over- 
heard her  say  to  the  old  nun,  in  much  alarm,  that  in  the  cellar 
from  which  she  had  just  returned,  she  had  heard  the  most 
dreadful  groans  that  ever  came  from  any  being.  This  was 
enough  to  give  me  uneasiness.  I  could  not  account  for  the 
appearance  of  an  evil  spirit  in  any  part  of  the  Convent,  for  I 
had  been  assured  that  the  only  one  ever  known  there,  was  that 
of  the  nun  who  had  died  with  an  unconfessed  sin,  and  that  others 
were  kept  at  a  distance  by  the  holy  water  that  was  rather  pro- 
fusely used  in  dififerent  parts  of  the  nunnery.    Still,  I  presumed  » 


4m 

1 

'•1  Jlifii 

f 

I     1       yr. 

'i 

I 


M 


m^n 


?       !)■ 


I 


'••as ;,. 


^^^^Hm  ' 

i 

III 

I^Blm 

i  i 

i 

1 

r! 

iiillllll 


a  ! 


ij'ii 


116 


AWFUL    DISCLOSURES. 


that  the  sounds  heard  by  Saint  Ignace  must  have  proceeded  from 
some  devil,  and  I  felt  great  dread  at  the  thought  of  visiting  the 
cellar  again.  I  determined  to  seek  further  information  of  the 
terrified  nun ;  but  when  I  addressed  her  on  the  subject,  at 
recreation-time,  the  first  opportunity  I  could  find,  she  replied, 
that  I  was  always  trying  to  make  her  break  silence,  and  walked 
off  to  another  group  in  the  room,  so  that  I  could  obtain  no 
satisfaction. 

It  is  remarkable  that  in  our  nunnery,  we  were  almost  entirely 
cut  off  from  the  means  of  knowing  anything,  even  of  each  other. 
There  were  many  nuns  whom  I  know  nothing  of  to  this  day, 
after  having  been  in  the  same  rooms  with  them  every  day  and 
and  night  for  many  months.  There  was  a  nun,  whom  I  suppos- 
ed to  be  in  the  Convent,  and' whom  I  was  anxious  to  learn  some- 
thing about  from  the  time  of  my  entrance  as  a  novice ;  but  I 
never  was  able  to  loam  anything  concerning  her,  not  even 
whether  she  was  in  the  nunnery  or  not,  whether  alive  or  dead. 
She  was  the  daughter  of  a  rich  family,  residing  at  Point  auz 
Trembles,  of  whom  I  had  heard  my  mother  speak  before  I  enter- 
ed the  Oonvent.  The  name  of  her  family  I  think  was  Lafayette, 
and  she  was  thought  to  be  from  Europe.  She  was  known  to 
have  taken  the  black  veil;  but  as  I  was  not  acquainted  with  the 
name  of  the  Saint  she  had  assumed,  and  I  could  not  describe  her 
in  "  the  world,"  all  my  inquiries  and  observations  proved  entire- 
ly in  vain. 

I  had  heard  before  my  entrance  into  the  Oonvent,  that  one  of 
the  nuns  had  made  her  escape  from  it  during  the  last  war,  and 
once  inquired  about  her  of  the  Superior.  She  admitted  that 
such  was  the  fact ;  but  I  was  never  able  to  learn  any  particulars 
concerning  her  name,  origin,  or  manner  of  escape. 


WW, 


BLACK     NUN  NERT. 


in 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Disappearance  of  Nuns— St.  Pierre— Oags— My  temporary  Confinement  In  a  Cell 
—The  Cholera  Season — How  to  avoid  it— Occupations  in  the  Convent  during  the 
Pestilence- Manufacture  of  Wax  Candles — The  Election, Riots— Alarm  among 
the  Nuns— Preparations  for  defence — Penances. 

I  AM  unable  to  say  how  many  nuns  disappeared  while  I  was  in 
the  Convent.  There  were  several.  One  was  a  young  lady  cal- 
led St.  Pierre,  I  think,  but  am  not  certain  of  her  name.  There 
were  two  nuns  by  this  name.  I  had  known  her  as  a  novice 
with  me.  She  had  been  a  novice  about  two  years  and  a  half 
before  I  became  one.  She  was  rather  large  without  being  tall, 
and  had  rather  dark  hair  and  eyes.  She  disappeared  unac- 
countably, and  nothing  was  said  of  her  except  what  I  heard  in 
whispers  from  a  few  of  the  nuns,  as  we  found  moments  when  we 
could  speak  unobserved. 

Some  told  me  they  thought  she  must  have  left  the  Convent ; 
and  I  might  have  supposed  so,  had  I  not  some  time  afterward 
found  some  of  her  things  lying  about,  which  she  would,  in 
such  a  case,  doubtless  have  taken  with  her.  I  never  had  known 
any  thing  more  of  her  than  what  I  could  observe  or  conjecture. 
I  had  always,  however,  the  idea  that  her  parents  or  friends  were 
wealthy,  for  she  sometimes  received  clothes  and  other  things, 
which  were  very  rich. 

Another  nun,  named  Saint  Paul,  died  suddenly;  but  as  in 
other  cases,  we  knew  so  little,  or  rather  were  so  entirely  ignor- 
ant of  the  cause  and  circumstances,  that  we  could  only  conject> 
ure ;  and  being  foi  bidden  to  converse  freely  on  that  or  any  other 
subject,  thought  but  little  about  it.  I  have  mentioned  that  a 
number  of  veiled  nuns  thus  mysteriously  disappeared  during  my 
residence  among  them.  I  cannot,  perhaps,  recall  them  all,  but  lam 
confident  there  were  as  many  as  five,  and  I  think  more.    All  that 


m 


.1       :         (./•  .. 


I 


1 


I  i  I. 

I  i. 


■  :,:.:  I 


I 


1 1  1 


I'i 


1 1'  1^ 


B 


(|jf\iq 


m 


Niijlii  Willi 


118 


AWFUL    DISCLOSURES. 


we  knew  in  such  cases  was,  that  one  of  dnv  number  who  had  ap- 
peared as  iMual  when  last  observed,  was  nowhere  to  be  seen,  and 
never  was  again.  Mad  Jane  Ray,  on  several  such  occasions, 
would  indulge  in  her  bold,  and,  as  we  thought,  dangerous  re- 
marks. She  had  intimated  that  some  of  those,  who  had  been 
for  a  time  in  the  Convent,  were  by  some  means  removed  to 
make  way  for  new  ones ;  and  it  was  generally  the  fact,  that  the 
disappearance  of  one  and  tiie  introduction  of  another  into  our 
community,  were  nearly  at  the  same  time.  I  have  repeatedly 
heard  Jane  Ray  say,  with  one  of  her  significant  looks,  "  When 
you  appear,  somebody  else  disappears  !" 

It  is  unpleasant  enough  to  distress  or  torture  one*s  selt ;  but 
there  is  something  worse  in  being  tormented  by  others,  especially 
where  they  resort  to  force,  and  show  a  pleasure  in  compelling 
you,  and  leave  you  no  hope  of  escape,  or  opportunity  to  resist. 
I  had  seen  the  gags  repeatedly  in  use,  and  sometimes  ap;)Ued 
with  a  roughness  which  seemed  rather  inhuman ;  but  it  'm  one 
thing  to  see  and  another  thing  to  feel.  There  were  some  of  the 
old  nuns  who  seemed  to  take  pleasure  in  oppressing  those  who 
fell  under  their  displeasure.  They  were  ready  to  recommend  or 
resort  to  compulsory  measures,  and  ever  ready  to  run  for  the 
gags.  These  were  kept  in  one  of  the  community-rooms,  in  a 
drawer  between  two  closets ;  and  there  a  stock  of  about  fifty  of 
them  was  always  in  deposite.  Sometimes  a  aumber  of  nuns 
would  prove  refractory  at  a  time ;  and  I  have  seen  battles  com- 
menced in  which  several  appeared  on  both  sides.  The  disobe- 
dient were,  however,  soon  overpowered :  and  to  prevent  their 
screams  from  being  heard  beyond  the  walls,  gagging  commenced 
immediately.  I  have  seen  half  a  dozen  lying  gagged  and  bound 
at  once. 

I  have  been  subjected  to  the  same  state  of  involuntary  silence 
more  than  once ;  for  sometimes  I  became  excited  to  a  state  of 
desperation  by  the  measures  used  against  me,  and  then  conducted 
in  a  manner  perhaps  not  less  violent  than  some  others.  My  hands 
had  been  tied  behind  me,  and  a  gag  put  into  my  mouth,  some- 
times with  such  force  and  rudeness  as  to  lacerate  my  lips  and 
cause  the  blood  to  flow  freely. 

Treatment  of  this  kind  is  apt  to  teach  submission,  and  many 


BLACK     NUNNERY. 


119 


u 


times  I  have  acquiesced  under  orders  received,  or  wishes  ex- 
pressed, Avith  a  fear  of  a  recurrence  to  some  severe  measures. 

One  day  I  had  incurred  tlie  anger  of  the  Superior  in  a  greater 
degree  than  usual,  and  it  was  ordered  that  I  should  be  taken  to 
one  of  the  cells.  I  was  taken  by  some  of  the  nuns,  bound  and 
gagged,  carried  down  the  stairs  in  the  cellar,  and  laid  upon 
the  flcor.  Kot  long  afterward  I  induced  one  of  the  nuns  to 
request  the  Superior  to  come  down  and  see  me ;  and  on  making 
some  acknowledgment  I  was  released.  I  will,  however,  relate 
this  story  rather  more  in  detail. 

On  that  day  I  had  been  engaged  with  Jane  Bay,  in  carrying 
into  effect  a  plan  of  revenge  upon  another  person,  when  I  fell 
under  the  vindictive  spirit  of  some  of  the  old  nuns,  and  su£fered 
severely.  The  Superior  ordered  me  to  the  cells,  and  a  scene  of 
violence  commenced  which  I  will  not  attempt  to  describe,  nor 
the  precise  circumstances  which  led  to  it.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that 
after  exhausting  my  strength,  by  resisting  as  long  as  I  could 
against  several  nuns,  I  had  my  bands  drawn  behind  my  back, 
a  leathern  band  passed  first  round  my  thumbs,  then  round  my 
hands,  and  then  round  my  waist,  and  fastened.  This  was  drawn 
so  tight  that  it  cut  through  the  flesh  of  my  thumbs,  making 
wounds,  the  scars  of  which  still  remain.  A  gag  was  then  forced 
into  my  mouth,  not  indeed  so  violently  as  it  sometimes  was,  but 
roughly  enough ;  after  which  I  was  taken  by  main  force,  and 
carried  down  into  the  cellar,  across  it  almost  to  the  opposite 
extremity,  and  brought  to  the  last  of  the  second  range  of  cells 
on  the  left  hand.  The  door  was  opened,  and  I  was  thrown  in 
with  violence,  and  left  alone,  the  door  being  immediately  closed 
and  bolted  on  the  outside.  The  bare  ground  was  under  me,  cold 
and  hard  ap*if  it  had  been  beaten  down  even.  I  lay  still,  in  the 
position  In  which  I  had  fallen,  as  it  would  have  been  difficult 
for  me  to  move,  confined  as  I  was,  and  exhausted  by  my  exertions ; 
an(]/ the  shock  of  my  fall,  and  my  wretched  state  of  desperation 
ai^d  fear,  disinclined  me  from  any  further  attempt.  I  was  in 
jilmost  total  darkness,  there  being  nothing  perceptible  except  a 
/slight  glimmer  of  light  which  came  in  through  the  little  window 
i  /  far  above  me. 
/      How  long  I  remained  in  that  condition  I  can  only  conjecture. 

1/ 


m 


Wi,fW7i,/'u 


n,! 


I  '•!. 


120 


AWFUL    DISCLOSURES. 


It  seemed  to  me  a  long  time,  and  must  have  been  two  or  three 
Lours.  I  did  not  move,  expecting  to  die  there,  and  in  a  state  of 
distress  which  I  cannot  describe,  from  the  tight  bandage  about 
'my  hands,  and  the  gag  holding  my  jaws  apart  at  their  greatest 
extension.  I  am  confident  I  must  have  died  before  morning,  if, 
as  I  then  expected,  I  had  been  left  there  all  night.  By-aud-by, 
however,  the  bolt  was  drawn,  the  door  opened,  and  Jane  Kay 
spoke  to  me  in  a  tone  of  kindness.  She  had  taken  an  opportu- 
nity to  slip  into  the  cellar  unnoticed  on  purpose  to  see  me.  Sho 
unbound  the  gag,  and  took  it  out  of  my  mouth,  and  told  mo  she 
would  do  any  thing  to  get  me  out  of  my  dungeon.  If  she  had 
had  the  bringing  of  me  down,  she  would  not  have  thrust  mo  su 
brutally,  and  she  would  be  revenged  on  those  who  had.  SLo 
offered  to  throw  herself  upon  her  knees  before  the  Superior  aud 
beg  her  forgiveness.  To  this  I  would  not  consent ;  but  told  her 
to  ask  the  Superior  to  come  to  me,  as  I  wished  to  speak  to  her. 
This  I  had  no  idea  she  would  condescend  to  do ;  but  Jane  had 
not  been  gone  long  before  the  Superior  came,  and  asked  if  I 
had  repented  in  the  sight  of  God  for  what  I  had  done.  I  replied 
in  the  affirmative ;  and  after  a  lecture  of  some  length  on  the  pain 
I  had  given  the  Virgin  Mary  by  my  conduct,  she  asked  whether 
I  was  willing  to  ask  pardon  of  all  the  nuns  for  the  scandal  I 
had  caused  them  by  my  behaviour.  To  this  I  made  no  objection; 
and  I  was  then  released  from  my  prison  and  m  j  bonds,  went  up 
to  the  community-room,  and  kneeling  before  all  the  sbters  in 
succession  begged  the  forgiveness  and  prayers  of  each. 

Among  the  marks  which  I  still  bear  of  the  woundi.  received 
from  penances  and  violence,  are  the  scars  left  by  the  belt  with 
which  I  repeatedly  tortured  myself,  for  the  mortification  of  my 
spirit.  These  are  most  distinct  on  my  sidd ;  for  a^oagh  the 
band,  which  was  four  or  five  inches  in  breadth,  and  extended 
round  the  waist,  was  stuck  full  of  sharp  iron  points  in  all  parts, 
it  was  sometimes  crowded  most  against  my  side,  by  restiDg  in 
my  chair,  and  the  wounds  were  nsually  deeper  there  than  any- 
where else. 

My  thumbs  were  several  times  cut  severely  by  the  tigjii  draw- 
ing of  the  band  used  to  confine  my  arms,  and  the  scars  ara  ftiU 
visible  npon  them. 


\i 


DLAOK    NUNNERY 


The  rough  gngging  which  I  several  times  endured  wounded 
iny  lips  very  much ;  for  it  was  common,  in  that  operation,  to 
thruHt  the  gag  hard  against  the  teeth,  and  catch  one  or  both 
tlio  lips,  whicli  were  sometimes  cut.  The  object  was  to  stop 
the  screams  made  by  the  offender  as  soon  as  possible ;  and  some 
of  the  old  nuns  delighted  in  tormenting  us.  A  gag  was  once 
forced  into  my  iMOUth  which  had  a  large  splinter  upon  it,  and 
this  cut  through  my  under  lip,  inrront,  leaving  to  this  day  a 
scar  about  half  an  inch  long.  The  same  lip  was  several  times 
wounded,  as  well  as  the  other ;  but  one  day  worse  than  ever, 
when  a  narrow  piece  was  cut  off  from  the  left  side  of  it,  by  being 
pinched  between  the  gag  and  the  under  fore-teeth ;  and  this  has 
left  an  inequality  in  it  which  is  still  very  observable. 

One  of  the  most  shocking  stories  I  heard  of  events  that  had 
occurred  in  the  nunnery  before  my  aqnalntance  with  it,  was  the 
following,  which  was  told  me  by  Jane.  What  is  uncommon,  I 
can  fix  the  date  when  I  heard  it.  It  was  on  New-Tear's  day, 
1834.  The  ceremonies,  customary  in  the  early  part  of  that  day, 
had  been  performed ;  after  mass,  in  the  morning,  the  Superior 
had  shaken  hands  with  all  the  nuns,  and  given  us  her  blessing, 
for  she  was  said  to  have  received  power  from  heaven  to  do  so 
only  once  a  year,  and  then  on  the  first  day  of  the  year.  Besides 
this,  cakes,  raisins,  &o.  are  distributed  to  the  nuns  on  that  day. 

While  in  the  community-room,  T  had  taken  a  seat  just  withia 
the  cupboard-door,  where  I  often  found  a  partial  shelter  from 
observation  with  Jane,  when  a  conversation  incidentally  began 
between  us.  Our  practice  often  was,  to  take  places  there  beside 
one  of  the  old  nans,  awaiting  the  time  when  she  would  go  away 
for  a  little  while,  and  leave  ns  partially  screened  from  the  observa- 
tion of  others.  On  that  occasion,  Jane  and  I  were  left  for  a 
time  alone ;  when  after  some  discourse  on  sidcide,  she  remarked, 
that  three  nuns  once  killed  themselves  in  the  Convent.  This 
happened,  she  said,  not  long  after  her  reception,  and  I  knew, 
therefore,  that  it  was  several  years  before,  for  she  had  been 
received  a  considerable  time  before  I  had  become  a  novice. 
Three  young  ladies,  she  informed  me,  took  the  veil  together,  or 
very  near  the  same  time,  I  am  not  certain  which.  I  know  they 
have  four  robes  in  the  Oonvent,  to  be  worn  during  the  ceremony 

6 


'   \i 


III  , ■) 


MlTjq.|! 


■'I 


n-i'ii 


»y,j 


\W\mA        :  I 


ml 


ill 


iimn  ii! 


122 


AWFUL     DISCLOSURES. 


of  taking  the  yeil ;  but  I  have  never  seen  more  than  one  of 
them  used  at  a  time. 

Two  of  tlie  new  nuns  were  sisters,  and  the  other  their  cousin. 
They  hud  been  received  but  a  few  days,  when  information  was 
given  one  morning  that  they  had  been  found  dead  in  their  beds, 
amid  a  profusion  of  blood.  Jane  Ray  said,  she  saw  their  corpses, 
and  tljat  they  appeared  to  have  killed  themselves,  by  opening 
veins  in  their  anna  with  a  kflfe  they  had  obtained,  and  all  had 
bled  to  death  together.  "What  was  extraordinary,  Jane  Ray 
added,  that  she  had  heard  no  noise,  and  that  she  believed  no- 
body had  suspected  that  any  thing  was  wrong  during  the  niglit. 
Saint  Hypolite,  however,  had  stated,  that  she  found  them  in  the 
morning,  after  the  other  nuns  had  gone  to  prayers,  lying  lifeless 
in  their  beds. 

For  some  reason  or  other,  their  death  was  not  made  public ; 
but  their  bodies,  instead  of  being  exhibited  in  full  dress  in  the 
chapel,  and  afterward  interred  with  solemnity  beneath  it,  were 
taken  unceremoniously  into  the  cellar,  and  thrown  into  the  hole  I 
have  so  often  mentioned. 

There  were  a  few  instances,  and  only  a  few,  in  which  we  knew 
any  tiling  that  was  happening  in  the  world ;  and  even  then  our 
knowledge  did  not  extend  out  of  the  city.  I  can  recall  but  three 
occasions  of  this  kind.  Two  of  them  were  when  the  cholera 
prevailed  in  Montreal;  and  the  other  was  the  election  riots. 
The  appearance  of  the  cholera,  in  both  seasons  of  its  ravages, 
gave  us  abundance  of  occupation.  Indeed,  we  were  more  borne 
down  by  hard  labor  at  those  times,  than  ever  before  or  afterward 
during  my  stay.  The  Pope  had  given  early  notice  that  the  burn- 
ing of  wax  candles  would  aflFord  protection  from  the  disease,  be- 
cause so  long  as  any  person  continued  to  burn  one, the  Virgin  Mary 
would  interce<ic  for  him.  No  sooner,  therefore,  had  the  alarm- 
ing disease  made  its  appearance  in  Montreal,  than  a  long  wax 
candle  was  lighted  in  the  Convent  for  each  of  the  inmates,  so 
that  all  parts  of  it  in  use  wore  artificially  illuminated  day  and 
night.  Thus  a  great  many  candles  were  kept  constantly  burning, 
which  were  to  be  replaced  from  those  manufactured  by  the  nuns. 
But  this  was  a  trifle.  The  Pope's  message  having  been  promul- 
gated m  the  Grey  Nunnery,  the  Congregational  Nunnery,  and  to 


BLACK     NUN  N  ERY. 


123 


Catholics  at  large,  through  the  pulpits,  an  extraordinary  demand 
was  created  for  wax  candles,  to  supply  which  we  were  princi- 
pally depended  upon.  All  who  could  be  employed  in  making 
them  were  therefoi'e  set  at  work,  and  I,  among  the  rest,  assist- 
ed in  different  departments,  and  witnessed  all. 

Numbers  of  the  nuns  had  been  long  familiar  with  the  business ; 
for  a  very  considerable  amount  of  wax  had  been  annually  manu- 
factured in  the  Convent ;  but  now  the  works  were  much  extend- 
ed, and  other  occupations  in  a  great  degree  laid  aside.  Large 
quantities  of  wax  were  received  in  the  building,  which  was  said 
to  have  been  imported  from  England ;  kettles  were  placed  in 
some  of  the  working-rooms,  in  which  it  was  clarified  by  lieat 
over  coal  tires,  and  when  prepared,  the  process  of  dipping  com- 
menced. The  wicks  which  were  quite  long,  were  placed  hang- 
ing upon  a  reel,  taken  up  and  dipped  in  succession,  until,  after 
many  slow  revolutions  of  the  reel,  the  candles  were  of  the  pro- 
per size.  They  were  then  taken  to  a  part  of  the  room  where 
tables  were  prepared  for  rolling  them  smooth.  This  is  done  by 
passing  a  roller  over  them,  until  they  became  even  and  pohshed, 
after  which  they  are  laid  by  for  sale.  These  processes  caused  a 
constant  bustle  in  several  of  the  rooms ;  and  the  melancholy  re- 
ports from  without,  of  the  ravages  of  the  cholera,  with  the  un- 
certainty of  what  might  be  the  result  with  us,  notwithstanding 
the  promised  intercession  of  the  Virgin,  and  the  brilliant  lights 
constantly  burning  'in  such  numbers  around  us,  impretfsed  the 
scenes  I  used  to  witness  very  deeply  on  my  mind.  I  had  very 
little  doubt  myself  of  the  strict  truth  of  the  story  we  had  heard 
of  the  security  conferred  upon  those  who  burnt  candles,  and  yet 
I  Gometimes  had  serious  fears  arise  in  my  mind.  The-e  thoughts, 
however,  I  did  my  utmost  to  regard  as  great  sins,  and  evidences 
of  my  own  want  of  faith. 

It  was  during  that  period  that  I  formed  a  partial  acquaintance 
with  several  Grey  nuns,  who  used  to  come  frequently  for  sup- 
plies of  candles  for  their  Convent.  I  had  no  opportunity  to  con- 
verse with  them,  except  so  far  as  the  purchase  and  sale  of  the 
articles  they  required.  I  became  familiar  with  their  countenances 
and  appearances,  but  was  unable  to  judge  of  their  characters  or 
feelings.    Concerning  the  rules  and  habits  prevailing  in  the  Grey 


nHii®?.:r( 


I 


! 


124 


AWFUL     DISCLOSURES 


Nunnery;  I  therefore  remained  as  ignorant  as  if  I  had  been  a 
thousand  miles  off;  and  they  had  no  better  opportunity  to  learn 
anything  of  us  beyond  what  they  could  see  around  them  in  the 
room  where  the  candles  were  sold. 

We  supplied  the  Congregational  Nunnery  also  with  wax  can- 
dles, as  I  before  remarked ;  and  in  both  those  institutions,  it  was 
understood  a  constant  illumination  was  kept  up.  Citizens  were 
also  frequently  running  in  to  buy  candles,  in  great  and  small 
quantities,  so  tliat  the  business  of  storekeeping  was  far  more  la- 
borious than  common. 

We  were  confirmed  in  our  faith  in  the  intercession  of  the 
Virgin,  when  we  found  that  we  remained  safe  from  the  cholera ; 
and  it  is  a  remarkable  fact,  that  not  one  case  of  that  disease  ex- 
isted in  the  nunnery,  during  either  of  the  seasons  in  which  it 
proved  so  fatal  in  the  city. 

When  the  election  riots  prevailed  in  Montreal,  the  city  was 
thrown  into  genei*al  alarm ;  we  heard  some  reports,  from  day  to 
day,  which  made  us  anxious  for  ourselves.  Nothing,  however, 
gave  me  any  serious  thoughts  until  I  saw  uncommon  movements 
in  some  parts  of  the  nunnery,  and  ascertained,  to  my  own  satis- 
faction, that  there  was  a  large  quantity  of  gunpowder  stored  in 
some  secret  place  within  the  walls,  and  that  some  of  it  was 
removed,  or  prepared  for  use,  under  the  direction  of  the 
Superior. 

I  have  mentioned  several  penances,  in  different  parts  of  this 
narrative,  which  we  sometimes  had  to  perform.  There  is  a  great 
variety  of  them ;  and,  while  some,  though  trifling  in  appearance, 
became  very  painful,  by  long  endurance,  or  frequent  repetition ; 
others  are  severe  in  their  nature,  and  would  never  be  submitted 
to  unless  through  fear  of  something  worse,  or  a  real  belief  in 
efficacy  to  remove  guilt.  I  will  mention  here  such  as  I  recol- 
lect, which  can  be  named  without  offending  a  virtuous  ear ;  for 
some  there  were,  which,  although  I  have  been  compelled  to 
submit  to,  either  by  misled  conscience,  or  the  fear  of  severe 
punishments,  now  that  I  am  better  able  to  judge  of  my  duties, 
and  at  liberty  to  act,  I  would  not  mention  or  describe. 

Kissing  the  floor,  is  a  very  common  penance ;  kneeling  and 
kissing  the  feet  of  the  other  nuns,  is  another;  as  are  kneeling  on 


.  been  a 
to  learn 
Q  in  the 

j\rax  can- 
18,  it  "Was 
ens  wero 
nd  small 
more  la- 

m  of  the 
>  cholera ; 
iisease  ex- 
.  which  it 

,  city  was 
)m  day  to 
^  however, 
aovements 
own  satis- 
stored  in 
of  it  was 
»n  of  the 

Irts  of  this 
is  a  great 
tpearance, 
•epetition ; 
submitted 
il  belief  in 
IS  I  recol- 
^s  ear ;  for 
tpelled  to 
of  severe 
my  duties, 

beling  and 
Ineeling  on 


BLACK    NUNNERY. 


125 


hard  peos,  and  walking  with  them  in  the  shoes.  We  had 
repeatedly  to  walk  on  our  knees  through  the  subterranean 
passsage,  leading  to  the  Congregational  Nunnery ;  and  sometimes 
to  eat  our  meals  with  a  rope  round  our  necks.  Sometimes  wo 
were  fed  only  with  such  things  as  we  most  disliked.  Garlic  was 
given  to  me  on  this  account,  because  I  had  a  strong  antipathy 
against  it.  Eels  were  repeatedly  given  to  some  of  us,  because 
we  felt  an  unconquerable  repugnance  to  them,  on  account  of 
reports  we  had  heard  of  their  feeding  on  dead  carcasses,  in  the 
river  St.  Lawrence.  It  was  no  uncommon  thing  for  us  to  be 
required  to  drink  the  water  in  which  the  Superior  had  washed 
her  feet.  Sometimes  we  were  required  to  brand  ourselves  with 
a  hot  iron,  so  as  to  leave  scars ;  at  other  times  to  whip  our  naked 
flesh  with  several  small  rods,  before  a  private  altar,  until  we  drew 
blood.  I  can  assert,  with  the  perfect  knowledge  of  the  fact, 
that  many  of  the  nuns  bear  the  scars  of  these  wounds. 

One  of  onr  penances  was  to  stand  for  a  length  of  time,  with 
our  arms  extended,  in  imitation  of  the  Saviour  on  the  cross.  The 
Chemin  de  la  Croix^  or  Eoad  to  the  Cross,  is,  in  fact,  a  penance, 
though  it  consists  of  a  variety  of  prostrations,  with  the  repeti- 
tion of  many  prayers,  occupying  two  or  three  hours.  This  we 
had  to  perform  frequently,  going  into  the  chapel,  and  falling 
before  each  chapelle  in  succession,  at  each  time  commemorating 
some  particular  act  or  circumstance  reported  of  the  Saviour's 
progress  to  the  place  of  his  crucifixion.  Sometimes  wo  were 
obliged  to  sleep  on  the  floor  in  the  winter,  with  nothing  over  us 
but  a  single  sheet ;  and  sometimes  to  chew  a  piece  of  window- 
glass  to  a  fine  powder,  in  the  presence  of  the  Snperior. 

We  had  sometimes  to  wear  leathern  belts  stuck  full  of  sharp 
metallic  points  round  our  waists,  and  the  upper  part  of  our  arms, 
bound  on  ho  tight  that  they  penetrated  the  flesh,  and  drew  blood. 

Some  of  the  penances  was  so  severe,  that  thej^seemod  too  much 
to  be  endured;  and  when  they  wore  imposed,  the  nuns  who 
were  to  suffer  them,  sometimes  showed  the  most  violent  repug- 
nance. They  would  often  resist,  and  still  oftener  express  their 
opposition  by  exclamations  and  screams. 

Never,  however,  was  any  noise  heard  from  them,  for  a  long 
time,  for  there  was  a  remedy  always  ready  to  be  applied  to  cases 


'.'I'       \\ 


i:-->f 


r1.  .  ^il 


y  L  a; ' 


w\ 


126 


AWFUL     DISCLOSURES. 


I'    ! 


''■ 


Ml 


11    i 


of  the  kind.  The  gag  which  was  put  into  the  month  of  the 
unfortunate  Saint  F;'ancis,  liad  heen  brought  from  a  place  where 
there  were  forty  or  fifty  others,  of  diflferent  shapes  and  sizes* 
These  I  have  seen  in  their  depository,  which  is  a  drawer  between 
two  closets,  in  one  of  the  community-rooms.  "Whenever  any 
loud  noise  was  made,  one  of  these  instruments  was  demanded, 
and  gagging  commenced  at  once.  I  have  known  many,  many 
instances,  and  sometimes  five  or  six  nuns  gagged  at  once.  Some- 
times they  would  become  so  much  excited  before  they  could  be 
bound  and  gagged,  that  considerable  furce  was  necessary  to  be 
exerted ;  and  I  have  seen  the  blood  flowing  from  mouths  into 
which  the  gag  had  been  thrust  with  violence. 

Indeed  I  ought  to  know  something  on  this  department  of 
nunnery  discipline :  I  have  had  it  tried  upon  myself,  and  I  can 
bear  witness  that  it  is  not  only  most  humiliating  and  oppressive, 
but  often  extremely  painful.  The  mouth  is  kept  forced  open, 
and  the  straining  of  the  jaws  at  their  utmost  stretch,  for  a  con- 
siderable time,  is  very  distressing. 

One  of  the  worst  punishments  which  I  ever  saw  inflicted,  was 
that  with  a  cap ;  and  yet  some  of  the  old  nuns  were  permitted 
to  inflict  it  at  their  pleasure.  I  have  repeatedly  known  them  to 
^o  for  a  cap,  when  one  of  our  number  had  transgressed  a  rule, 
sometimes  though  it  were  a  very  unimportant  one.  These  caps 
were  kept  in  a  cupboard  in  the  old  nuns'  room,  whence  they 
were  brought  when  wanted. 

They  were  small,  made  of  a  reddish  looking  leather,  fitted 
closely  to  the  head,  and  fastened  under  the  chin  with  a  kind  of 
buckle.  It  was  the  common  practice  to  tie  the  nun's  hands  behind 
and  gag  her  before  the  cap  was  put  on,  to  prevent  noise  and 
resistance.  I  never  saw  it  worn  by  any  for  one  moment,  with- 
out throwing  them  into  severe  sufferings.  If  permitted,  they 
would  scream  ia  a  most  shocking  manner;  and  they  always 
writhed  as  much  as  their  confinement  would  allow.  I  can  speak 
from  personal  knowledge  of  this  punishment,  as  I  have  endured 
it  more  than  once ;  and  yet  I  have  no  idea  of  the  cause  of  the 
pain.  I  never  examined  one  of  the  caps,  nor  saw  the  inside,  for 
they  are  always  brought  and  taken  away  quickly ;  but  although 
the  first  sensation  was  that  of  coolness,  it  was  hardly  put  On  my 


BLACK     NUNNERY. 


12t 


head  before  a  violent  and  indescribable  sensation  began,  like  that 
of  a  blister,  only  much  more  insupportable;  and  this  continued 
until  it  was  removed.  It  would  produce  such  an  acute  pain  as 
to  throw  us  into  convulsions,  and  I  think  no  human  being  could 
endure  it  for  an  hour.  After  this  punishment  we  felt  its  effects 
through  the  system  for  many  days.  Having  once  known 
what  it  was  by  experience,  I  held  the  cap  in  dread,  and  wlien- 
ever  I  was  condemned  to  suffer  the  punishment  again,  felt  ready 
to  do  any  thing  to  avoid  it.  But  when  tied  and  gngged,  with 
the  cap  on  my  head  again,  I  could  only  sink  upon  the  floor,  and 
roll  about  in  anguish  until  it  was  taken  off. 

This  was  usually  done  in  about  ten  minutes,  sometimes  less, 
but  the  pain  always  continued  in  my  head  for  several  days.  I 
thought  that  it  might  take  away  a  person's  reason  if  kept  on  a 
much  longer  time.  If  I  had  not  been  gagged,  I  am  sure  I  should 
have  uttered  awful  screams.  I  have  felt  the  effects  for  a  week. 
Sometimes  fresh  cabbage  leaves  were  applied  to  my  head  to 
remove  it.  Having  had  no  oijportunity  to  examine  my  head,  I 
cannot  say  more. 

This  punishment  was  occasionally  resorted  to  for  very  trifling 
offences,  such  as  washing  the  hands  without  permission ;  and  it 
was  generally  applied  on  the  spot,  and  before  the  other  nuns  in 
the  community -room. 


^ 


m^ 


M 


128 


▲  WTUL    SIBOLOSVBSi. 


1 


i 


I    i 


I 
i 


I 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

The  Priests  of  the  District  of  Montreal  have  free  access  to  the  Blaok  Nunnery- 
Crimes  committed  and  required  by  them— The  Pope's  command  to  commit  inde- 
cent Crimes— Characters  of  the  Old  and  New  Superiors — The  timidity  of  the 
latter— I  began  to  be  employed  in  the  Hospitals — Some  accountof  them— Warning 
given  me  by  a  sick  Nun— Penance  by  Hanging. 

I  HAYK  mentioned  before,  that  the  country,  as  far  down  as 
Three  Kivers,  is  furnished  with  priests  by  the  Seminary  of  Mon- 
treal; and  that  these  hundred  and  fifty  men  are  liable  to  be 
occasionally  transferred  from  one  station  to  another.  Numbers 
6f  them  are  often  to  be  seen  in  the  streets  of  Montreal,  as  they 
may  find  a  home  in  the  Seminary. 

They  are  considered  as  having  an  equal  right  to  enter  the 
Black  Nunnery  whenever  they  please ;  and  then,  according  to 
oar  oaths,  they  have  complete  control  over  the  nuns.  To  name 
all  the  works  of  shame  of  which  they  are  guilty  in  that  retreat, 
would  require  much  time  and  space,  neither  would  it  be  neces- 
sary to  the  accomplishment  of  my  object,  which  is,  the  publica- 
tion of  but  some  of  their  criminality  to  the  world,  and  the 
development,  in  general  terms,  of  scenes  thus  far  carried  on  in 
secret  within  the  walls  of  that  Convent,  where  I  was  so  long  an 
inmate. 

Secure  against  detection  by  the  world,  they  never  believed 
that  an  eyewitness  would  ever  escape  to  tell  of  their  crimes,  and 
declare  some  of  their  names  before  the  world ;  but  the  time  has 
come,  and  some  of  their  deeds  of  darkness  must  come  to  the 
day.  I  have  seen  in  the  nunnery,  the  priests  from  more, 
I  presume,  than  a  hundred  country  places.  Admitted  for  shameful 
and  criminal  purposes :  from  St.  Charles,  St.  Denis,  St.  Mark's 
St.  Antoine,  Chambly,  Bertier,  St.  John's,  &c.  &c. 

How  unexpected  to  them  will  be  the  discclosures  I  make' 


BLACK     NUNNERY. 


129 


Shut  up  in  a  place  from  which  there  has  been  tlionght  to  be  but 
one  way  of  egress,  and  that  the  passage  to  the  grave,  they  con- 
sidered themselves  safe  in  perpetrating  crimes  in  our  presence, 
and  in  making  us  share  in  their  criminality  as  often  as  they  chose, 
and  conducted  more  shamelessly  than  even  the  brutes.  These 
debauchees  would  come  in  witliout  ceremony,  concealing  their 
naraes,  both  by  night  and  by  day,  where  the  cries  and  pains  of 
the  injured  innocence  of  their  victims  could  never  reach  the 
world,  for  relief  or  redress  for  their  wrongs ;  without  remorse 
or  shame,  they  would  glory  in  torturing,  in  the  most  barbarous 
manner,  the  feelings  of  those  under  their  power ;  telling  us,  at 
the  same  time,  that  this  mortifying  of  the  flesh  was  religion,  and 
pleasing  to  God. 

We  were  sometimes  invited  to  put  ourselves  to  voluntary 
suflferings  in  a  variety  of  ways,  not  for  a  penance,  but  to  show 
our  devotion  to  God.    A  priest  would  sometimes  say  to  us — 

"Now,  which  of  you  have  love  enough  for  Jesus  Christ  to 
stick  a  pin  through  your^ cheeks?" 

Some  of  us  would  signify  our  readiness,  and  immediately  thrust 
one  through  up  to  the  head.  Sometimes  he  would  propose  that 
we  should  repeat  the  operation  several  times  on  the  spot ;  and 
the  cheeks  of  a  number  of  nuns  would  be  bloody. 

There  were  other  acts  occasionally  proposed  and  consented  to, 
which  I  cannot  name  in  a  book.  Such  the  Superior  would  some- 
times command  us  to  perform ;  many  of  them  things  not  only 
useless,  and  unheard  of,  but  loathsome  and  indecent  in  the  high- 
est possible  degree.  How  they  could  ever  have  been  invented  I 
never  could  conceive.  Things  were  done  worse  than  the  ei  ti"  , 
exposure  of  the  person,  though  this  was  occasionally  required  of 
•sevei'al  at  once,  in  the  presence  of  priests. 

The  Superior  of  the  Seminary  would  sometimes  come  and 
inform  us,  that  he  had  received  orders  from  the  Pope,  to  request 
that  those  nuns  who  possessed  the  greatest  devotion  and  faith, 
should  be  requested  to  perform  some  particular  deeds,  which 
he  named  or  described  in  our  presence,  but  of  which  no  decent 
or  moral  person  could  ever  endure  to  spekk.  I  cannot  repeat 
what  would  injure  any  ear,  not  debased  to  the  lowest  possible 
degree.    I  am  bound  by  a  regard  to  truth,  however,  to  confess, 

6* 


I 


m 


■jf]  ■■ 


80 


AWFUL     DISCLOSURES. 


that  deluded  women  were  found  among  us,  who  would  comply 
with  those  requests. 

There  was  a  great  difference  between  the  characters  of  our  old 
and  new  Superior,  which  soon  became  obvious.  The  former  used 
to  say  she  liked  to  walk,  because  it  would  prevent  her  from 
becoming  corpulent.  She  was,  therefore,  very  active,  and  con- 
stantly going  about  from  one  part  of  the  nunnery  to  another, 
overseeing  us  at  our  various  employments.  I  never  saw  in  her 
any  appearance  of  timidity  :  she  seemed,  on  the  contrary,  bold 
and  masculine,  and  sometimes  much  more  than  that,  cruel  and 
cold-blooded,  in  scenes  calculated  to  overcome  any  common  per- 
son. Such  a  character  she  had  exhibited  at  the  nmrder  of 
Saint  Francis. 

The  new  Superior,  on  the  other  hand,  was  so  heavy  and  lame, 
that  she  walked  with  much  diflSculty,  and  consequently  exercised 
a  less  vigilant  oversight  of  the  nuns.  She  was  also  of  a  timid 
disposition,  or  else  had  been  overcome  by  some  great  fright  in 
her  past  life ;  for  she  was  apt  to  become  alarmed  in  the  night, 
and  never  liked  to  be  alone  in  the  dark.  She  had  long  per- 
formed the  part  of  an  old  nun,  which  is  that  of  a  spy  upon  the 
younger  ones,  and  was  well  known  to  us  in  that  character, 
under  the  name  of  Ste.  Margarite.  Soon  after  her  promotion 
to  the  station  of  Superior,  she  appointed  me  to  sleep  in  her 
apartment,  and  assigned  me  a  sofa  to  lie  upon.  One  night  while, 
I  was  asleep,  she  suddenly  threw  herself  upon  me,  and  exclaimed 
in  great  alarm,  "  Oh !  mon  Dieu  I  mon  Dieu  I  Qu'est  que  ca  ?" 
Oh,  my  God  I  my  God  1  What  is  that  ?  I  jumped  up  and  look- 
ed about  the  room,  but  saw  nothing,  and  endeavoured  to  con- 
vince her  that  there  was  nothing  extraordinary  there.  But  she 
insisted  that  a  ghost  had  come  and  held  her  bed-curtain,  so  that' 
she  could  not  draw  it.  I  examined  it,  and  found  that  the  cur- 
tain had  been  caught  by  a  pin  in  the  valance,  which  had  held  it 
back ;  but  it  was  impossible  to  tranquillize  her  for  some  time. 
She  insisted  on  my  sleeping  with  her  the  rest  of  the  night,  and 
I  stretcheil  myself  across  the  foot  of  her  bed,  and  slept  there  till 
morning.  * 

During  the  last  part  of  my  stay  in  the  Convent,  I  was  often 
employed  in  attending  in  the  hospitals.    There  are,  as  I  have 


BLACK     NUNNERY 


131 


before  mentioned,  several  apartments  devoted  to  the  sick,  and 
there  is  a  physician  of  Montreal,  who  attends  as  physician  to 
the  Convent.  It  must  not  be  supposed,  however,  that  he  knows 
anything  concerning  the  private  hospitals.  It  is  a  foct  of  great 
importance  to  be  distinctly  understood,  and  constantly  borne  in 
mind,  that  he  is  never,  under  any  circumstances,  admitted  into 
the  private  hospital-rooms.  Of  those  he  sees  nothing  more  than 
any  stranger  whatever.  He  is  limited  to  the  care  of  those 
patients  who  are  admitted  from  the  city  into  the  public  hospital, 
and  one  of  the  nuns'  hospitals,  and  these  he  visits  every  day. 
Sick  poor  are  received  for  charity  by  the  institution,  attended 
by  some  of  the  nuns,  and  often  go  away  with  the  highest  ideas 
of  their  charitable  characters  and  holy  lives.  The  physician 
himself  might  perhaps  in  some  cases  share  in  the  delusion. 

I  frequently  followed  Dr.  Nelson  through  the  public  hospital, 
at  the  direction  of  the  Superior,  with  pen,  ink,  and  paper  in  my 
hands,  and  wrote  down  tlie  prescriptions  wliich  he  ordered  for 
the  ditferent  patients.  These  were  afterwards  prepared  and 
administered  by  the  attendants.  About  a  year*before  I  left  the 
Convent,  I  was  first  appointed  to  attend  the  private  sick-rooms, 
and  was  frequently  employed  in  that  duty  up  to  the  day  of  my 
departure.  Of  course,  I  had  opportunities  to  observe  the 
number  and  classes  of  patients  treated  there ;  and  in  what  I  am 
to  say  on  the  subject,  I  appeal  with  perfect  confidence  to  any 
true  and  competent  witness  to  confirm  my  words,  whenever 
such  a  witness  may  appear. 

It  would  be  vain  for  any  body  who  has  merely  visited  the  Con- 
vent from  curiosity,  or  resided  in  it  as  a  novice,  to  question  my 
declarations.  Such  a  person  must  necessarily  be  ignorant  of 
even  the  existence  of  the  private  rooms,  unless  informed  by 
some  one  else.  Such  rooms  however,  there  are,  and  I  could 
relate  many  things  which  have  passed  there  during  the  hours  I 
was  employed  in  them,  as  I  have  stated. 

One  night  I  was  called  to  sit  up  with  an  old  nun,  named  Saint 
Clare,  who,  in  going  down-stairs,  had  dislocated  a  limb,  and  lay 
in  a  sick-room  adjoining  an  hospital.  She  seemed  to  be  a  little 
out  of  her  head  a  part  of  the  time,  but  appeared  to  be  quite  in 
possession  of  her  reason  most  of  the  night.    It  was  easy  to  pre- 


I. 


|i: 


182 


AWFUL    DISCLOSURES. 


j^ 


tend  that  she  was  delirious ;  but  I  considered  her  as  speaking 
tLe  truth,  though  I  fult  reluctant  to  repeat  what  I  heard  her 
say,  and  excused  myself  from  mentioning  it  even  at  confession, 
on  the  ground  that  the  Superior  thought  her  deranged. 

What  led  her  to  some  of  the  most  remarkable  parts  of  her 
conversation,  was  a  motion  I  made,  in  the  course  of  the  night, 
to  take  the  light  out  of  her  little  room  into  the  adjoih^ng  apart- 
ment, to  look  once  more  at  the  sick  persons  there.  Shb  ^)egged 
me  not  to  leave  her  a  moment  in  the  dark,  for  she  could  not 
bear  it.  "  I  have  witnessed  so  many  horrid  scenes,"  said  she, 
^^  in  this  Convent,  that  I  want  somebody  near  me  constantly, 
and  must  always  have  a  light  burning  in  my  room.  I  cannot 
tell  you,"  she  added,  "  what  things  I  remember,  for  they  would 
frighten  you  too  much.  "What  you  have  seen  are  nothing  to 
them.  Many  a  murder  have  I  witnessed ;  many  a  nice  young 
creature  has  been  killed  in  this  nunnery.  I  advise  you  to  be 
very  cautious — keep  everything  to  yourself— there  are  many  here 
ready  to  betray  you." 

What  it  was  that  induced  the  old  nun  to  express  so  much 
kindness  to  me  I  could  not  tell,  unless  she  was  frightened  at  the 
recollection  of  her  own  crimes,  and  those  of  others,  and  felt 
grateful  for  the  care  I  took  of  her.  She  had  been  one  of  the 
night'Watches,  and  never  before  showed  roe  any  particular 
kindness.  She  did  not  indeed  go  mto  detail  concerning  the 
transactions  to  which  she  alluded,  but  told  me  that  some  nuns 
had  been  murdered  under  great  aggravations  of  cruelty,  by 
being  gagged,  and  left  to  starve  in  the  cells,  or  having  their 
flesh  burnt  olT  their  bones  with  red-hot  iron.3. 

It  was  uncommon  to  find  compunction  ozpressed  by  any  of 
the  nuns.  Habit  renders  us  insensible  to  the  bnfferings  of  others, 
and  careless  about  our  own  sins.  I  had  become  so  hardened 
myself,  that  I  find  it  diflBcult  to  rid  myself  of  many  of  my  former 
false  principles  and  views  of  right  and  wrong. 

I  was  one  day  set  to  wash  some  of  the  empty  bottles  from  the 
cellar,  which  had  contained  the  liquid  that  was  poured  into  the 
cemetery  there.  A  number  of  these  had  been  brought  from  the 
corner  where  so  many  of  them  were  always  to  be  •seen,  and  placed 
at  the  head  of  the  cellar  stairs,  and  there  we  were  required  to 


BLACK    NDNNKRY. 


133 


take  them  and  wash  them  out.  We  poured  in  water  and  rinsed 
them;  a  few  drops,  which  got  upon  our  clothes,  soon  mape 
holes  in  them.  I  think  the  liquid  was  called  vitriol,  or  some 
such  name ;  and  I  heard  some  persons  say,  that  it  would  soon 
destroy  the  flesh,  and  even  the  bones  of  the  dead.  At  another 
time,  we  were  furnished  with  a  little  of  the  liquid,  which  was 
mixed  with  a  quantity  of  water,  and  used  in  dying  some  cloth 
black,  which  was  wanted  at  funerals  in  the  chapels.  Our  hands 
were  turned  very  black  by  being  dipped  in  it,  but  a  few  drops 
of  some'other  liquid  were  mixed  with  fresh  water  and  given  us 
to  wash  in,  which  left  our  skin  of  a  bright  red. 

The  bottles  of  which  I  spoke  were  made  of  very  thick,  dark- 
coloured  glass,  large  at  the  bottom,  and,  from  recollection,  I 
should  say  held  something  less  than  a  gallon. 

I  was  once  much  shocked,  on  entering  the  room  for  the  exanu- 
nation  of  conscience,  at  seeing  a  nun  hanging  by  a  cord  from  a  ring 
ia  the  ceiling,  with  her  head  downward.  Her  clothes  had  been 
tied  round  with  a  leathern  strap,  to  keep  them  in  their  place, 
and  then  she  had  been  fastened  in  that  situation,  with  her  head 
at  some  distance  from  the  floor.  Her  face  had  a  very  unpleasant 
appearance,  being  dark-coloured  and  swollen  by  the  rushing  in 
of  the  blool ;  her  hands  were  tied  and  her  mouth  stopped  with 
a  large  gag.  This  nun  proved  to  be  no  other  than  Jane  Ray, 
who  for  some  fault  had  been  condemned  to  this  punishment. 

This  was  not,  however,  a  solitary  case ;  I  heard  of  numbers 
who  were  "  hung,"  as  it  was  called,  at  different  times ;  and  I 
saw  Saint  Hypolite  and  Saint  Luke  undergoing  it.  This  was 
considered  a  most  distressing  punishment ;  and  it  was  the  only 
oce  which  Jane  Kay  could  not  endure,  of  all  she  had  tried. 

Some  of  the  nuns  would  allude  to  it  in  her  presence,  but  it 
usually  made  her  angry.  It  was  probably  practised  in  the  same 
place  while  I  was  a  novice ;  but  I  never  heard  or  thought  of 
such  a  thing  in  those  days.  Whenever  we  wished  to  enter  the 
room  for  examination  of  conscience,  we  had  to  ask  leave ;  and 
after  some  delay  were  permitted  to  go,  but  always  under  a  strict 
charge  to  bend  the  head  forward,  and  keep  the  eyef  fixed  upon 
the  floor.  % 


I 


I, 


■:  t 


f-'r--i'  f: 


fi 


i:  ; 


184 


AWFUL    DISCLOSURES. 


/ 


CHAPTER  XX. 

More  TisiU  to  th«  Imprisoned  Nuni— Their  fears — Others  temporarily  put  Into  the 
Cells'— Reliques— The  Agnus  Del— The  Priests'  private  Hospital,  or  Holy  Retreat- 
Secret  Rooms  in  the  Eastern  Wlug— Reports  of  Murders  in  the  Convent— The 
Superior's  private  Records — Number  of  Nuns  in  the  Convent — Desire  of  Escape- 
Urgent  reason  for  it— Plan— Deliberation— Attempt— Success. 


■I 


^^ 


I  OFTEir  seized  an  opportunity,  when  I  safely  could,  to  speak 
a  cheering  or  friendly  word  to  one  of  the  poor  prisoners,  in  pas- 
sing their  cells,  on  my  errands  in  the  cellars.  For  a  time  I  sup- 
posed them  to  be  sisters ;  but  I  afterward  discovered  that  this 
was  not  the  case.  I  found  that  they  were  always  under  the  fear 
of  suffering  some  punishment,  in  case  they  should  "be  found  talk- 
ing with  a  person  not  commissioned  to  attend  them.  They 
would  often  ask,  "  Is  not  somebody  coming  ?" 

I  could  easily  believe  what  I  heard  aflSrmed  by  others,  that  fear 
was  the  severest  of  their  sufferings.  Confined  in  the  dark,  in  so 
gloomy  a  place,  with  the  long  and  spacious  arched  cellar  stretch- 
ing off  this  way  and  that,  visited  now  and  then  b^  a  solitary  nun, 
with  whom  they  were  afraid  to  speak  their  feelings,  and  with 
only  the  miserable  society  of  each  other ;  how  gloomy  thus 
to  spend  day  after  day,  months,  and  even  years,  without  any 
prospect  of  liberation,  and  liable  every  moment  to  any  other  fate 
to  which  the  Bishop  or  Superior  might  condemn  them  I  But 
these  poor  creatures  must  have  known  something  of  the  horrors 
perpetrated  in  other  parts  of  the  building,  and  could  not  have 
been  ignorant  of  the  hole  in  the  cellar,  which  was  not  far  from 
their  cells,  and  the  use  to  which  it  was  devoted.  One  of  them 
told  me,  in  confidence,  she  wished  they  could  get  out.  They 
must  also  have  been  often  disturbed  in  their  sleep,  if  they  ever  did 
sleep,  by  the  numerous  priests  who  passed  through  the  trapdoor 
at  no  great  distance.    To  be  subject  to  such  trials  for  a  single 


'S-i.; 


»  -m 


4wi 


J 


put  Into  the 
ly  Retreat- 
invent— The 
of  Escape- 


to  Speak 
irs,  in  pas- 
ime  I  snp- 
1  that  this 
er  the  fear 
found  tallc- 
am.    They 

s,  that  fear 
lark,  in  so 
lar  stretch- 
[litary  nun, 
and  with 
lomy  thus 
ithout  any 
other  fate 
lera  1    But 
fhe  horrors 
Id  not  have 
,tfar  from 
te  of  them 
•ut.    They 
jy  ever  did 
le  trapdoor 
[or  a  single 


BLACK     NUNNERY. 


186 


day  would  be  dreadful ;  but  these  uuns  had  them  to  endnro  for 
years. 

I  ouen  felt  much  compassion  for  them,  and  wished  to  see  thorn 
released ;  but  at  other  times,  yielding  to  the  doctrine  perpetually 
taught  us  in  the  Ounvent,  that  our  future  happiness  would  be 
proportioned  to  the  sufferings  wo  had  to  undergo  in  this  world, 
I  would  rest  satisfied  that  their  imprisonment  was  a  real  blessing 
to  them.  Others,  I  presume,  participated  with  me  in  such  feel- 
ings. One  Sunday  afternoon,  after  we  hati  performed  all  our 
ceremonies,  and  were  engaged  as  usual,  at  that  time,  with  back- 
gammon and  other  amusements,  one  of  the  young  nuns  exclaimed, 
"Oh,  how  lieadstrong  are  those  wretches  in  the  cells — they  are 
as  bad  as  the  day  they  were  first  put  in  1" 

This  exclamation  was  made,  as  I  supposed,  in  consequence  of 
some  recent  conversation  with  them,  as  I  knew  her  to  be  par- 
ticularly acquainted  with  the  older  one. 

Some  of  the  vacant  cells  were  occasionally  used  for  temporary 
imprisonment.  Three  nuns  were  confined  in  them,  to  my  know- 
ledge, for  disobedience  to  the  Superior,  as  she  called  it.  They 
did  not  join  the  rest  in  singing  in  the  evening,  being  exhausted 
by  the  various  exertions  of  the  day.  The  Superior  ordered  them 
to  sing,  and  as  they  did  not  comply,  after  her  command  had  been 
twice  repeated,  she  ordered  them  away  to  the  cells. 

They  were  immediately  taken  down  into  the  cellar,  placed 
in  separate  dungeons,  and  the  doors  shut  and  barred  upon  them. 
There  they  remained  through  that  night,  the  following  day,  and 
second  night,  but  were  released  in  time  to  attend  mass  on  the 
second  morning. 

The  Superior  used  occasionally  to  show  something  in  a  glass 
box,  which  we  were  required  to  regard  with  the  highest  degree 
of  reverence.  It  was  made  of  wax,  and  called  an  Agnus  Dei. 
She  used  to  exhibit  it  to  us  when  we  were  in  a  state  of  grace  ; 
that  is,  after  confession  and  before  sacrament.  She  said  it  had 
been  blessed  in  the  very  dish  in,  which  our  Saviour  had  eaten.  It 
was  brought  from  Rome.  E^^/ery  time  we  kissed  it,  or  even 
looked  at  it,  we  were  told  it  gave  a  hundred  days  release  from 
purgatory  to  ourselves,  or  if  we  did  not  need  it,  to  our  n|^  pf 
kin  in  purgatory,  if  not  a  Protestant.    If  we  had  no  suph  kins- 


I 


;!■.  ' 


136 


AWFUL     DISCLOSURES. 


l!l 


man,  the  benefit  was  to  go  to  the  soula  in  purgatory  not  prayed 
for. 

Jane  Ray  would  sometimes  say  to  me,  '^  Let's  kiss  it — ^some 
of  our  friends  will  thank  us  for  it. 

I  liave  been  repeatedly  employed  in  carrying  dainties  of  dif- 
ferent kinds  to  the  little  private  room  I  have  mentioned,  next 
beyond  the  Superior's  sitting-room,  in  the  second  story,  which 
the  priests  made  their  "  Boly^Retreaty "  That  room  I  never  was 
allowed  to  enter.  I  could  only  go  to  the  door  with  a  waiter  of 
refreshments,  set  It  down  upon  a  little  stand  near  it,  give  three 
raps  on  the  door,  and  then  retire  to  a  distance  to  await  orders. 
When  any  thing  was  to  be  taken  away,  it  was  placed  on  the 
stand  by  the  Superior,  who  then  gave  three  raps  for  me,  and 
closed  the  door. 

The  Bishop  I  saw  at  least  once  when  he  appeared  worse  for 
wine,  or  something  of  the  kind.  After  partaking  of  some 
refreshments  in  the  Convent,  he  sent  for  all  the  nuns,  and,  on 
our  appearance,  gave  us  his  blessing,  and  put  a  piece  of  pound- 
cake on  the  shoulder  of  each  of  us,  in  a  manner  which  appeared 
singular  and  foolish. 

There  are  three  rooms  in  the  Black  Nunnery  which  I  never 
entered^!  I  had  enjoyed  much  liberty,  and  had  seen,  as  I  sup- 
posed, all  paO'ts  of  the  building,  when  one  day  I  observed  an  old 
nun  go  to  a  corner  of  an  apartment  near  the  northern  end  of 
the  western  wing,  push  the  end  of  her  scissors  into  a  crack  in 
the  panelled  wall,  and  pull  out  a  door.  I  was  much  surprised, 
because  I  had  never  conjectured  that  any  door  was  there ;  and 
it  appeared,  when  I  afterward  examined  the  place,  that  no  indi- 
cation of  it  could  be  discovered  on  the  closest  scrutiny.  I  step- 
ped forward  to  see  what  was  within,  and  saw  three  rooms 
opening  into  each  other;  but  the  nun  refused  to  admit  me 
within  the  door,  which  she  said  led  to  rooms  kept  as  deposi- 
tories. 

She  herself  entered  and  closed  the  door,  so  that  I  could  not 
satisfy  my  curiosity ;  and  no  occasion  presented  itself.  I  always 
had  a  strong  desire  to  know  the  use  of  these  apartments :  for  I 
am  sure  they  must  have  been  designed  for  some  purpose  of  which 
I  was  intentionally  kept  ignorant,  otherwise  they  would  never 


m 


■,fc 


* 


BLACK     NUNNEBT. 


13t 


have  remained  unknown  to  me  so  long.  Besides,  the  old  nnn 
evidently  had  some  strong  reasons  for  denying  me  admission, 
though  she  endeavoured  to  quiet  my  curiosity. 

The  Superior,  after  my  admission  into  the  Convent,  had  told 
me  that  I  had  access  to  every  room  in  the  building ;  and  I  had 
seen  places  which  bore  witness  to  the  cruelties  and  the  crimes 
committed  under  l^er  commands  or  sanction ;  but  here  was  a 
succession  of  rooms  which  had  been  concealed  from  me,  and  so 
constructed  as  if  designed  to  be  unknown  to  all  but  a  few.  I 
am  sure  that  any  person,  who  might  bo  able  to  examine  the 
wall  in  that  place,  would  pronounce  that  secret  door  a  sunpris- 
iog  piece  of  work.  I  never  saw  any  thing  of  the  kind  which 
appeared  to  me  so  ingenious  and  skilfully  made.  I  told  Jane 
Bay  what  I  had  seen,  and  she  said,  at  once, ,"  We  will  get  in  and 
see  what  is  in  there."  But  I  suppose  she  never  found  an  oppor- 
tunity. 

I  naturally  felt  a  good  deal  of  curiosity  to  learn  whether  such 
scenes,  as  I  had  witnessed  in  the  death  of  Saint  Francis,  were 
common  or  rare,  and  took  an  opportunity  to  inquire  of  Jane 
Ray.    Her  reply  was — 

"  Oh,  yes ;  and  there  were  many  murdered  while  you  was  a 
novice,  whom  you  heard  nothing  about." 

This  was  all  I  ever  learnt  on  the  subject ;  but  although  I  was 
told  nothing  of  the  manner  in  which  they  were  killed,  I  sup- 
posed it  to  be  the  same  which  I  had  seen  practised,  viz.  by 
smothering. 

I  went  into  the  Superior's  parlour  one  day  for  something,  and 
found  Jane  Bay  there  alone,  looking  into  a  book  with  an  appear- 
ance of  interest.  I  asked  her  what  it  was,  but  she  made  some 
trifling  answer,  and  laid  it  by,  as  if  unwilling  to  let  me  take  it. 
There  are  two  bookcases  In  the  room ;  one  on  tlie  right  as  you 
enter  the  door,  and  the  other  opposite,  near  the  window  and 
sofa.  The  former  contains  the  lecture-books  and  other  printed 
volumes,  the  latter  seemed  to  be  filled  with  note  and  account 
books.  I  have  often  seen  the  keys  in  the  bookcases  while  I  have 
been  dusting  the  furniture,  and  sometimes  observed  letters  stuck 
up  in  the  room ;  although  I  never  looked  into  one,  or  thought 
of  doing  80,  as  we  were  under  strict  orders  not  to  touch  any  of 


mi'M. 


'ii:.!i 


■■  '■. 


188 


AWFUL    DISCLOSURES. 


V^. 


them,  and  the  idea  of  sins  and  penance?  was  always  present 
with  rae. 

Some  time  after  the  occasion  mentioned,  I  was  sent  into  the 
Superior's  room,  with  Jane,  to  arrange  it ;  and  as  the  same  book 
was  lying  out  of  the  case,  she  said  "  Oome,  let  us  look  into  it." 
I  immediately  consented,  and  we  opened  it,  and  turned  over 
several  leaves.  It  was  about  a  foot  and  a  half  long,  as  nearly 
as  I  can  remember,  a  foot  wide,  and  about  two  inches  thick, 
though  I  cannot  speak  with  particular  precision,  as  Jane  fright- 
ened me  almost  as  soon  as  I  touched  it,  by  exclaiming,  "There 
you  have  looked  into  it,  and  if  you  tell  of  me,  I  will  of  you." 

The  thought  of  being  subjected  to  a  severe  penance,  which  I 
had  reason  to  apprehend,  fluttered  me  very  much ;  and  although 
I  tried  to  overcome  my  fears,  I  did  not  succeed  very  well.  I 
reflected,  however,  that  the  sin  was  already  committed,  and  that 
\t  would  not  be  increased  if  I  examined  the  book.  I,  therefore, 
looked  a  little  at  several  pages,  though  I  still  felt  a  good  deal  of 
agitation.  I  saw,  at  once,  that  the  volume  was  the  record  of  the 
entrance  of  nuns  and  novices  into  the  Convent,  and  of  the  births 
that  had  taken  place  in  the  Convent.  Entries  of  the  last  descrip- 
tion were  made  in  a  brief  manner,  on  the  following  plan :  I  do 
not  give  the  names  or  dates  as  real,  but  only  to  show  the  form 
of  entering  them. 

Saint  Mary  delivered  of  a  ion,  March  16, 1834. 
Saint  Clarice       •>       daughter,  April  2,    ** 
Saint  UaUlda      '•       daughter,  AprU,  80,  » 


No  mention  was  made  in  the  book  of  the  death  of  the 
children,  though  I  well  knew  not  one  of  them  could  be  living  at 
that  time. 

Kow  I  presume  that  the  period  the  book  embraced,  was  about 
two  years,  as  several  names  near  the  beginning  I  knew  ;  but  I 
can  form  only  a  rough  conjecture  of  the  nfij^ber  of  infants  born, 
and  murdered  of  course,  records  of  which  it  contained.  I 
suppose  the  book  contained  at  least  one  hundred  pages,  that  one 
fourth  were  written  upon,  and  that  each  page  contained  fifteen 
distinct  records.  Several  pages  were  devoted  to  the  list  of 
births.     On  this  supposition  tliere  must  have  been  a  large 


BLACK     NUNNERY 


139 


number,  which  I  can  easily  believe  to  have  been  born  there  in 
the  course  of  two  years. 

What  were  the  contents  of  the  other  books  belonging  to  the 
same  case  with  that  which  I  looked  into,  I  have  no  idea,  having 
never  dared  to  touch  one  of  them;  I  believe,  however,  that  Jane 
Ray  was  well  acquainted  with  them,  knowing,  as  I  do,  her  intelli- 
gence and  pi'ying  disposition.  If  she  could  be  brought  to  give 
her  testimony,  she  would  doubtless  unfold  many  curious  particu- 
lars now  unknown, 

I  am  able,  in  consequence  of  a  circumstance  which  appeared 
accidental,  to  state  with  confidence  the  exact  number  of  persons 
in  the  Convent  one  day  of  the  week  in  which  I  left  it.  This 
may  be  a  point  of  soma  interest,  as  several  secret  deaths  had 
occurred  since  my  taking  the  veil,  and  many  burials  had  been 
openly  made  in  the  chapel. 

I  was  appointed,  at  the  time  mentioned,  to  lay  out  the  covers 
for  all  the  inmates  of  the  Convent,  including  the  nuns  in  the 
cells.  These  covers,  as  I  have  said  before,  were  linen  bands,  to 
be  bonnd  around  the  knives,  forks,  spoon«i,  and  napkins,  for 
eatinj.  "'.rse  were  for  all  the  nuns  and  novices,  and  amounted 
to  twu  i  u.red  and  ten.  As  the  number  of  novices  was  then 
about  iuii'ty,  I  know  that  tliere  must  have  been  at  that  time 
about  one  hundred  and  eighty  veiled  nuns. 

I  was  occasionally  troubled  with  a  desire  of  escaping  from  the 
nunnery,  and  was  much  distressed  whenever  I  felt  so  evil  an 
imagination  rise  in  my  mind.  I  believed  that  it  was  a  sin,  and 
did  not  fail  to  confess  at  every  opportunity,  that  I  felt  discon- 
tent. My  confessors  informed  me  that  I  was  beset  by  an  evil 
spirit,  and  urged  me  to  pray  against  it.  Still,  however,  every 
now  and  then,  I  would  think,  "Oh,  if  I  could  get  out!" 

At  length  one  of  the  priests,  to  whom  I  had  confessed  this  sia, 
informed  me,  for  my  comfort,  that  he  had  begun  to  pray  to  Saint 
Anthony,  and  hoped  his  intercession  would,  by-and-by,  drive 
away  the  evil  spirit.  My  desire  of  escape  was  partly  excited  by 
the  fear  of  bringing  an  infant  to  the  murderous  hands  of  my 
companions,  or  of  taking  a  potion  whose  violent  effects  I  too 
well  knew. 

One  evening,  however,  I  found  myself  more  filled  with  the 


iill'V  ■' 


1^   :' 


ill'-;;  J 


|!  ^  '■! 


B'l'.i  )   J. 


140 


AWFUL     DISCLOSURES. 


desire  of  escape  than  ever ;  and  what  exertions  I  made  to  dismiss 
the  thought,  proved  entirely  unavailing.  During  evening  prayers, 
I  became  quite  occupied  witii  it ;  and  when  the  time  for  medita- 
tion arrived,  instead  of  falling  into  a  doze  as  I  often  did,  although 
I  was  a  good  deal  fatigued,  I  found  no  difficulty  in  keeping  awake. 
When  this  exercise  was  over,  and  the  other  nuns  were  about  to 
retire  to  the  sleeping-room,  my  station  being  in  the  private  sick- 
room for  the  night,  I  withdrew  to  my  post,  which  was  the  httle 
sitting-room  adjoining  it. 

Here,  then,  I  threw  myself  npon  the  sofa,  and,  being  alone, 
reflected  a  few  moments  on  the  manner  of  escaping  which  had 
occurred  to  me.  The  physician  had  arrived  a  little  before,  at 
half-past  eight ;  and  I  had  now  to  accompany  him,  as  usual,  from 
bed  to  bed,  with  pen,  ink,  and  paper,  to  write  down  his  prescrip- 
tions for  the  direction  of  the  old  nun,  who  was  to  see  them 
administered.  What  I  wrote  that  evening,  I  cannot  now  recol- 
lect, as  my  mind  was  uncommonly  agitated ;  but  my  customary 
way  was  to  note  down  briefly  his  orders  ija.  this  manner : 

1  d  salts,  St.  Matilde. 

1  blister,  St.  Genevieve,  io.  Ac. 

I  remember  that  I  wrote  three  such  orders  that  evening,  and 
then,  having  finished  the  rounds,  I  returned  for  a  few  minutes  to 
the  sitting-room. 

There  were  two  ways  of  access  to  the  street  from  those 
rooms:  first,  the  more  direct,  from  the  passage  adjoining  the 
sick-room,  down  stairs,  through  a  door,  into  the  nunnery-yard, 
and  through  a  wicket-gate ;  that  is  the  way  by  which  the  physi- 
cian usually  enters  at  night,  and  he  is  provided  with  a  key  for 
that  purpose.  , 

It  would  have  been  unsafe,  however,  for  me  to  pass  out  that 
way,  because  a  man  is  kept  continually  in  the  yard,  near  the 
gate,  who  sleeps  at  night  in  a  small  hut  near  the  door,  to  escape 
whose  observation  would  be  impossible.  My  only  hope,  there- 
fore, was,  that  I  might  gain  my  passage  through  the  other  way, 
to  do  which  I  must  pass  through  the  sick-room,  then  through  a 
passage,  or  small  room,  usually  occupied  by  an  old  nun ;  another 
passage  and  stmrcase  leading  down  to  the  yard,  and  a  large  gate 


I  to  dismiss 
ng  prayers, 
for  niedi  ta- 
il, although 
)iDg  awake, 
re  about  to 
irivate  sick- 
ras  the  little 

jeing  alone, 
;  -which  had 
le  before,  at 
i  usual,  from 
his  prescrip- 
to  see  them 
t  now  recol- 
ly  customary 
mer: 


[evening,  and 
minutes  to 

from  those 

Ldjoining  the 

|unnery-yard, 

sh  the  physi- 

^ith  a  key  for 

lass  out  that 
Lrd,  near  the 
|or,  to  escape 
hope,  there- 
|e  other  way, 
^n  through  a 
uin ;  anotlier 
a  large  gate 


BLACK     NUNN  ERY. 


Ul 


opening  into  the  cross  street.  T  had  no  liberty  ever  to  go  beyond 
the  sick-room,  and  knew  that  several  of  the  doors  might  be 
fastened.  Still,  I  determined  to  try;  although  I  have  often 
since  been  astonished  at  my  boldness  in  undertaking  what  would 
expose  me  to  so  many  hazards  of  failure,  and  to  severe  punish- 
ment if  found  out. 

It  seemed  as  if  I  acted  under  some  extraordinary  impulse, 
which  encouraged  me  to  do  Avhat  I  should  hardly  at  any  other 
moment  have  thought  of  undertaking.  I  had  sat  but  a  short 
tiaio  upon  '  e  sofa,  however,  before  I  rose,  with  a  desperate 
determination  to  make  the  experiment.  I  therefore  walked 
fcastily  across  the  sick-room,  passed  into  the  nun's  room,  walked 
by  ber  in  a  great  hurry,  and  almost  without  giving  her  time  to 
speak  or  think,  said — "A  message!"  and  in  an  instant  was 
tlirough  the  door,  and  in  the  next  passage.  I  think  there  was 
another  nun  with  her  at  the  moment ;  and  it  is  probable  that  my 
hurried  manner,  and  prompt  intimation  that  I  was  sent  on  a 
pressing  mission  to  the  Superior,  prevented  them  from  enter- 
taining any  suspi6ion  of  my  intention.  Besides,  I  had  the 
written  orders  of  the  physician  in  my  hand,  which  may  have 
tended  to  mislead  them ;  and  it  was  w^ell  known  to  some  of  the 
nuns,  that  I  had  twice  left  the  Convent  and  returned  from 
choice;  so  that  I  was  probably  more  likely  to  bo  trusted  to 
remain  than  many  of  the  others. 

The  passage  which  I  had  now  reached  had  several  doors,  with 
all  which  I  was  acquainted ;  that  on  the  opposite  side  opened 
into  a  community-room,  where  I  should  probably  have  found 
some  of  the  old  nuns  at  that  hour,  and  they  would  certainly 
have  stopped  me.  On  the  left,  however,  w^as  a  large  door,  both 
locked  and  barred ;  but  I  gave  the  door  a  sudden  swing,  that  it 
might  creak  as  little  as  possible,  being  of  iron.  Down  the  stairs 
I  hurried,  and  making  my  way  through  the  door  into  the  yard, 
stepped  across  it  unbarred  the  great  gate,  and  was  at  liberty  1 


'l,f  ! 


J'  •  in : 

ci.  1  .'I 

'  1    ■  ■'  ;> 

'■  . !'  .  i 


142 


AWFUL     DISCLOSURIS. 


'  ■ 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

At  liberty— Doubtful  what  to  do— Found  refuge  for  the  night— Disappointment— 
My  first  day  opt  of  the  Convent— Solitude— BecoUectlons,  fears,  and  plans. 

I  nkra  but  a  confused  idea  of  the  manner  in  which  I  got 
through  some  of  the  doors ;  several  of  them,  I  am  confident, 
were  fastened,  and  one  or  two  I  fastened  behind  me.*  But  I 
was  now  in  the  street,  and  what  was  to  be  done  next?  I  had 
get  my  liberty;  but  where  should  I  go?  It  was  dark,  I  was  in 
great  .danger,  go  which  way  I  would :  and  for  a  moment,  I 
thought  I  had  been  unwise  to  leave  the  Convent.  If  I  could 
return  unobserved,  would  it  not  be  better?  But  summoning 
resolution,  I  turned  to  the  left,  and  ran  some  distance  up  the 
street;  then  reflecting  that  I  had  better  take  the  opposite  direc- 
tion, I  returned  under  the  same  Convent  walls,  and  ran  as  fast 
down  to  '^t.  Paul's  street,  and  turning  up  towards  the  north, 
exerted  all  my  strength,  and  fled  for  my  life.  It  was  a  cold 
evening,  but  I  stopped  for  nothing,  having  recollected  the  house 
where  I  had  been  put  to  board  for  a  short  time,  by  the  priest 
Roque,  when  prepared  to  enter  the  Convent  as  a  novice,  and 
resolved  to  seek  a  lodging  there  for  the  night.  Thither  I  went. 
It  seemed  as  if  I  flew  rather  than  ran.  It  was  by  that  time  so 
dark,  that  I  was  able  to  see  distinctly  through  the  low  windows 
by  the  light  within  ;  and  had  the  pleasure  to  find  that  she  was 
alone  with  her  children.  I  therefore  went  boldly  to  the  door, 
was  received  with  readiness,  and  entered  to  take  up  my  lodging 
there  once  more. 

Here  I  changed  my  nun's  dress  for  one  less  likely  to  excite 

♦  Before  leaving  the  nunnery  grounds,  I  ran  round  the  end  of  tho  building,  stood 
a  moment  in  hesitation  whether  I  had  not  better  return,  then  hastening  bacic  to 
the  other  side,  ra»  to  the  gate,  opened  it,  and  went  out. 


AT    LIBERTY. 


143 


ippolntment— 
bad  plans. 

'hich  I  got    ^ 
1  confident, 
ne  *    Bnt  I 
ext?    I  tad 
trk,  I  was  in 
X  moment,  I 
If  I  could 
;  summoning 
ance  np  tlie 
)po8ite  direc- 
d  ran  as  fast 
,3  the  north, 
It  was  a  cold 
ied  the  house 
,y  the  priest 
novice,  and 
lither  I  went, 
that  time  so 
low  windows 
Ithat  she  was 
to  the  door, 
my  lodging 

pely  to  excite 

(10  building,  stood 
Mtenlng  back  to 


observation ;  and  having  received  a  few  dollars  in  addition  to 
make  up  the  diflference,  I  retired  to  rest,  determined  to  rise  early 
and  take  the  morning  steamboat  for  Quebec.  I  knew  that  my 
hostess  was  a  friend  of  the  Superior,  as  I  have  mentioned  before, 
and  presumed  that  it  would  not  be  long  before  she  would  give 
information  against  me.  I  knew,  however,  that  she  could  not 
gain  admittance  to  the  Convent  very  early,  and  felt  safe  in 
remaining  in  the  house  through  the  night. 

But  after  I  had  retired  I  found  it  impossible  to  sleep,  and  tho 
night  appeared  very  long.  In  the  morning  early,  I  requested 
that  a  son  of  the  woman  might  accompany  me  to  the  steam- 
boat, but  learnt  to  my  regret  that  it  would  not  go  before  night. 
Fearing  that  I  might  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  priests,  and  be 
carried  back  to  the  nunnery,  and  not  knowing  where  to  go,  I 
turned  away,  and  determined  to  seek  some  retired  spot  imme- 
diately. I  walked  through  a  part  of  the  city,  and  some  distance 
an  the  Lachine  road,  when  finding  a  solitary  place,  I  seated  Tny- 
self  in  much  distress  of  mind,  fearful  and  anxious,  beyond  my 
power,  of  description.  I  could  not  think  myself  safe  anywhere 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  Montreal ;  for  the  priests  were  numer- 
ous, and  almost  all  the  people  were  entirely  devoted  to  them. 
They  would  be  very  desirous  of  finding  me,  and,  as  I  believed, 
would  make  great  exertions  to  get  me  again  in  their  hands. 

It  was  a  pleasant  spot  where  I  now  found  myself;  and  as  the 
weather  was  not  uncomfortable  in  the  daytime,  I  had  nothing 
to  trouble  me  except  my  recollections  and  fears.  As  for  the 
want  of  food,  that  gave  me  not  the  slightest  uneasiness,  as  I  jfelt 
no  inclination  whatever  to  eat.  The  uncertainty  and  doubts  I 
continually  felt,  kept  me  in  a  state  of  irresolution  the  whole  day. 
What  should  I  do  ?  Where  should  I  go  ?  I  had  not  ft  friend  in 
the  world  to  whom  I  could  go  with  confidence;  while  my 
enemies  were  numerous,  and,  it  seemed  to  me,  all  around  me, 
and  ready  to  seize  me.  I  thought  of  my  uncle,  who  lived  at  the 
distance  of  five  miles;  and  sometimes  I  almost  determined  to 
set  off  immediately  for  his  house.  I  had  visited  it  often  when  a 
child,  and  had  been  received  with  the  utmost  kindness.  I  re- 
membered that  I  had  been  a  great  favourite  of  his ;  but  some 
considerations  would  arise  which  discouraged  me  from  looking 


I 


'  kI 


I. 


't:  i     ■      !| 


Mi 


i!  i!! 


144 


AWFUL    DISCLOSURES. 


for  safety  in  that  direction.  The  steamboat  was  to  depart  in  a 
few  houra.  I  could  venture  to  pass  through  the  city  once  more 
by  twilight;  and  if  once  arrived  at  Quebec,  I  should  be  at  a 
great  distance  from  the  nunnery,  in  a  large  city,  and  among  a 
larger  proportion  of  Protestant  inhabitants.  Among  them  I 
might  find  friends,  or,  at  least,  some  sort  of  protection ;  and  I 
had  no  doubt  that  I  could  support  myself  by  labor. 

Then  I  thought  again  of  the  place  I  had  left;  the  kindness 
and  sympathy,  small  though  they  were,  which  I  had  found  in 
some  of  my  late  companions  in  the  Convent;  the  awful  mortal 
sin  I  had  committed  in  breaking  my  vows ;  and  the  terrible 
punishment  I  should  receive  if  taken  as  a  fugitive  and  carried 
back.  If  I  should  return  voluntarily,  and  ask  to  be  admitted 
again :  what  would  the  Superior  say,  how  would  she  treat  rae  ? 
Should  I  be  condemned  to  any  very  severe  penance  ?  Might  I 
not,  at  least,  escape  death  ?  But  then  there  was  one  considera- 
tion that  would  now  and  then  occur  to  me,  which  excited  the 
strongest  determination  never  to  return.  I  was  to  become  a 
mother,  and  the  thought  of  witnessing  the  murder  of  my  own 
child  was  more  than  I  could  bear. 

Purgatory  was  doubtless  my  portion ;  and  perhaps  hell  for 
ever — such  a  purgatory  and  hell  as  are  painted  in  the  Convent: 
but  i;here  was  one  hope  for  me  yet. 

I  might  confess  all  my  deadly  sins  sometime  before  I  died,  and 
a  Bishop  could  pardon  the  worst  of  them. 

This  was  good  Catholic  doctrine,  and  I  rested  upon  it  with  so 
much  hope,  that  I  was  not  quite  driven  to  despair. 

In  reflections  like  these,  I  spent  the  whole  day,  afraid  to  stray 
from  the  secluded  spot  to  which  I  had  retreated,  though  at  dif- 
ferent times  forming  momentary  plans  to  leave  it,  and  go  in 
various  directions.  I  ate  not  a  morsel  of  food,  and  yet  felt  no 
hunger.  Had  I  been  well  provided,  I  could  have  tasted  nothing 
in  such  a  state  of  mind.  The  afternoon  wasted  away,  the  sun 
set,  and  darkness  began  to  come  on :  I  rose  and  set  off  again  for 
the  city.  I  passed  along  the  streets  unmolested  by  any  one;  and 
reached  it  a  short  time  before  the  boat  was  ready  to  start. 


'  ,i''ii'"'"'     S 


PERSECUTIONS 


145 


jpart  in  a 
snco  more 
(1  be  at  a 
1  among  a 
ng  them  I 
ion;  and  I 

le  kindness 
ad  found  in 
wful  mortal 
tlie  terrible 
and  carried 
be  admitted 
le  treat  me? 
e?    Migbtl 
le  considera- 
L  excited  the 
to  become  a 
r  of  my  0^^^ 


CHAPTER  XXn. 

start  for  Quebec— Recognised— Disappointed  again— Not  permitted  to  land- 
Return  to  Montreal— Landed  and  passed  through  the  city  before  day— 'Lachine 
Canal- Intended  close  of  my  life. 

Soon  after  we  left  the  shore,  the  captain,  whom  I  had  pre- 
viously seen,  appeared  to  recognise  me. 

He  came  up  and  Inquired  if  I  was  not  the  daughter  of  my 
mother,  mentioning  her  name.  I  had  long  been  taught  and 
accustomed  to  deceive ;  and  it  may  be  supposed  that  in  such  a 
case  I  did  not  hesitate  to  deny  the  truth,  hoping  that  I  might 
avoid  being  known,  and  fearing  to  be  defeated  in  my  object. 
He  however  persisted  that  he  knew  me,  and  said  he  must  insist 
on  my  returning  with  him  to  Montreal,  adding  that  I  must  not 
leave  his  boat  to  land  at  Quebec.  I  said  but  little  to  him,  but 
intended  to  get  on  shore  if  possible,  at  the  end  of  our  journey 
--a  thing  I  had  no  doubt  I  might  effect. 

When  we  reached  Quebec,  however  I  found,  to  my  chagrin, 
that  the  ladies'  maid  carefully  locked  the  cabin-door  while  I 
was  in,  after  the  ladies  had  left  it,  who  were  six  or  eight  in 
number. 

I  said  little,  and  made  no  attempts  to  resist  the  restrictioa 
put  upon  me ;  but  secretly  cherished  the  hope  of  being  able, 
by  watching  an  opportunity,  to  slip  on  shore  at  tea-time,  and 
lose  myself  among  the  streets  of  the  city.  Although  a  total 
stranger  to  Quebec,  I  longed  to  be  at  liberty  there,  as  I  thought 
I  could  soon  place  myself  among  persons  who  would  secure  me 
from  the  Oatholios,  each  of  whom  I  now  looked  upon  as  an 
enemy. 

But  I  soon  found  that  my  last  hopes  were  blighted :  the  maid, 
having  received,  as  I  presumed,  strict  orders  from  the  captain, 
kept  me  dosely  confined,  so  that  escape  was  impossible.    I  was 


I 


Tr 


(. 


ill 


1  h       I 


146 


AWFUL     DISCLOSURES 


distressed,  it  is  true,  to  tind  myself  in  tliis  condition;  but  I  lind 
already  becoino  accustomed  to  disappointments,  and  tliereloro 
perhaps  sunk  l»^^'s  under  tliis  new  one,  llian  I  might  otherwise 
liave  dtMie.  When  the  hour  for  departure  arrived,  I  was  there- 
fore still  coiiUned  in  the  steamboat,  and  it  was  not  until  we  had 
left  the  thore  that  I  was  allowed  to  leave  the  cabin.  The  cap- 
tain and  others  treated  me  with  kindness  in  every  respect, 
except  that  of  permitting  me  to  do  what  I  most  desired.  I 
liave  sometimes  suspected,  that  he  had  received  notice  of  my 
escape  from  some  of  the  priests,  with  a  request  to  stop  my  flight, 
if  I  should  goon  board  his  boat.  Ilis  wife  is  a  Catholic,  and 
this  is  the  only  way  in  which  I  can  account  for  his  conduct : 
still  I  liave  not  sufficient  knowledge  of  his  motives  and  inten- 
tions to  speak  with  entire  confidence  on  the  subject. 

My  time  passed  heavily  on  board  of  the  steamboat,  particu- 
Idrly  on  my  passage  up  the  river  towards  Montreal.  My  mind 
was  too  much  agitated  to  allow  me  to  sleep,  for  I  was  continually 
meditating  on  the  scenes  I  liad  witnessed  in  the  Convent,  and 
anticipating  with  dread  such  as  I  had  reason  to  think  I  might 
soon  be  called  to  pass  through.  I  bought  for  a  trifle  while  on 
board,  I  hardly  know  why,  a  small  medallion  with  a  head  upon 
it,  and  the  name  of  Robertson,  which  I  hung  on  my  neck.  As 
I  sat  by  day  with  nothing  to  do,  I  occasionally  sunk  into  a  doze 
for  a  few  minutes,  when  I  usually  waked  with  a  start  from  some 
frightful  dream.  Sometimes  I  thought  I  was  running  away 
from  the  priests,  and  closely  pursued,  and  sometimes  had  no 
liope  of  escape.  But  tlie  most  distressing  of  my  feelings  were 
those  I  suflfered  in  the  course  of  the  night.  We  stopped  some 
time  at  Berthier,  where  a  number  of  prisoners  were  taken  on 
board,  to  be  carried  up  the  river ;  and  this  caused  much  confu- 
sion, and  added  to  my  painful  reflections. 

My  mind  became  much  agitated,  worse  tlian  it  had  been 
before ;  and  what  between  waking  fears,  and  sleeping  visions,  I 
spent  a  most  wretched  night.  Sometimes  I  thought  the  priests 
and  nuns  had  me  shut  up  in  a  dungeon ;  sometimes  they  were 
about  to  make  away  with  me  in  a  most  cruel  manner.  Once  I, 
dreamed  that  I  was  in  some  house,  and  a  coach  oame  up  to  i||0 


PERSECUTIONS. 


147 


ipi^ 


it  I  l»fti^ 

hereturo 

therwiso 

vs  there- 

,  we  liad 

Ihe  cap- 
respect, 

asjred.    1 

ce  of  my 

my  fl»gl»t, 

,\»o\ic,  aud 
conduct : 

and  iiiten- 

at,  particu- 

My  win^ 
continually 

invent,  and 
nk  I  miglit 
le  while  on 
i  head  upon 
r  neck.    As 
iuto  a  doze 
from  some 
kning  away 
jnes  h&(i  no 
jelings  were 
[opped  some 
[re  taken  on 
luch  confvi- 

lit  bad  been 
log  visions,  I 
It  the  priests 
ts  they  were 
aer.    Once  I 


door,  into  which  I  was  to  be  put  by  force ;  and  the  man  who 
seized  me,  and  was  putting  me  in,  had  no  head. 

When  we  reached  Montreal  on  Saturday  morning,  it  was  not 
daylight ;  and  tlio  captain,  landing,  set  ofl',  as  I  understood,  to 
give  my  mother  information  that  I  was  in  his  boat.  lie  was 
gune  a  long  time,  which  led  me  to  conjecture  that  he  might 
have  found  difficulty  in  speaking  with  her ;  but  the  delay  proved 
very  favourable  to  me,  for  perceiving  that  I  was  neither  lucked 
up  nor  watched,  I  hastened  on  shore,  and  pursued  my  way 
into  the  city.  I  felt  happy  at  my  escape :  but  what  was  I  then 
to  do  ?  "Whither  could  I  go  ?  Not  to  my  mother :  I  was 
certain  I  could  not  remain  long  with  her,  without  being  known 
to  the  priests. 

My  friendlessness  and  utter  helplessness,  with  the  dread  of 
being  murdered  in  the  Convent,  added  to  thoughts  of  the  shame 
which  must  await  me  if  I  lived  a  few  months,  made  me  take  a 
desperate  resolution,  and  I  hurried  to  put  it  into  effect. 

My  object  was  to  reach  the  head  of  the  Lachine  Canal,  which 
is  near  the  St.  Lawrence,  beyond  the  extremity  of  the  southern 
suburbs.  I  walked  hastily  along  St.  P^uPs  street,  and  found  all 
the  houses  still  shut ;  then  turning  to  the  old  Recollet  Church,  I 
readied  N6tre-Dame  street,  which  I  followed  in  the  direction  I 
wished  to  go. 

The  morning  was  chilly,  as  the  season  was  somewhat  advan- 
ced :  but  that  was  of  no  importance  to  me.  Day  had  appeared, 
and  I  desired  to  accomplish  the  object  on  which  I  was  now  bent, 
before  the  light  should  much  increase.  I  walked  on,  therefore, 
bat  the  morning  had  broken  bright  before  I  arrived  at  the  Canal; 
and  then  I  found  to  my  disappointment  that  two  Canadians  were 
at  work  on  the  bank,  getting  water,  or  doing  something  else. 

I  was  by  the  great  basin  where  the  boats  ^tart,  and  near  the 
large  canal  storehouse.  I  have  not  said  what  was  my  design ; 
it  was  to  drown  myself. 

Fearing  the  men  would  rescue  me,  I  hesitated  for  some  time, 
hoping  they  would  retire :  but  finding  that  they  did  not,  I  grew 
impatient.  I  stood  looking  on  the  water ;  it  was  nearly  on  a 
level  with  the  banks,  which  shelved  away,  as  I  could  perceive, 


I 


I. 


148 


AWFUL    DISCLOSURES. 


for  some  distance,  there  being  no  vfm(i  to  disturb  the  snrface. 
Thwre  was  nothing  in  tlio  sight  which  seemed  frightful  or  even 
forbidding  to  me ;  I  looked  upon  it  as  the  means  of  the  easiest 
death,  and  longed  to  be  buried  below.  At  length  finding  that 
the  men  were  not  likely  to  leave  the  plaoe,  I  sprung  from  the 
bank,  and  was  in  an  instant  in  the  cold  water.  The  shock  was 
very  severe.  I  felt  a  sharp  freezing  sensation  ran  through  me, 
which  almost  immediately  rendered  me  insensible ;  and  the  last 
■thing  I  can  recollect  was,  that  I  was  sinking  in  the  midst  of 
water  almost  as  cold  as  ice,  which  wet  my  clothes,  and  covered 
me  all  over. 


PERSEOUi'IONS. 


149 


le  fiurface. 
ul  or  oven 
the  easiest 
inding  tliat 
;  from  the 
shock  was 
irougli  me, 
ind  the  last 
e  midst  of 
ind  covered 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Awake  amonf  itraiigert— Dr.  Robertson— Iroprlioned  u  a  Tagrant— Introduction 
to  my  mother — Stay  in  her  house — Removal  from  it  to  Mrs.  McDonald's — Return 
to  my  mother's— Desire  to  get  to  Mew- York— Arrangeioents  for  going. 

How  long  I  remained  in  the  canal  I  knew  not ;  but  in  about 
tliree  minutes,  as  I  conjectured,  I  felt  a  severe  bio  v  on  my  right 
side;  and  opening  my  eyes  I  saw  myself  surroTi  dod  by  men, 
who  talked  a  great  deal,  and  expressed  much  anxiety  and 
curiosity  about  me.  They  enquired  of  me  my  name,  ^vhere  I 
lived,  and  why  I  had  thrown  myself  into  the  water:  b:^..  I 
would  not  answer  a  word.  The  blow  which  I  had  fell,  and 
which  was  probably  the  cause  of  bringing  me  for  a  few  moments 
to  my  senses,  I  presume  was  caused  by  my  falling,  after  J  iv  j 
rescued,  upon  the  stones,  which  lay  thickly  scattered  net  ?  tL%.> 
water.  I  remembei*  that  the  persons  around  me  continued  to 
press  me  with  questions,  and  that  I  still  remained  silent.  Some 
of  them  having  observed  the  little  medallion  on  my  neck,  and 
being  able  to  read,  declared  I  was  probably  the  daughter  of  Dr. 
Robertson,  as  it  bore  the  name ;  but  to  this,  I  also  gave  no  ans- 
wer, and  sunk  again  into  a  state  of  unconsciousness. 

When  my  senses  once  more  returned,  I  found  myself  lying  in 
a  bed  covered  up  warm,  in  a  house,  and  heard  several  persons 
talking  of  the  mass,  from  which  they  had  just  returned.  I  oonld 
not  imagine  where  I  was,  for  my  thoughts  wer*7  hot  easily  col- 
lected, and  every  thing  seemed  strange  around  me.  Some  of 
tliem,  on  account  of  the  name  on  the  little  medallion,  liad  sent 
to  Dr.  Robertson,  to  inform  him  that  a  yotu\^  ^;oman  had  been 
prevented  from  drowning  herself  in  the  b  '^in,  who  had  a  portrait 
on  her  neck,  with  his  family  name  stamped  upon  it ;  and  he  had 
sent  word,  that  although  she  could  be  no  relation  of  his,  they 
had  better  bring  her  to  his  house,  as  he  possibly  might  be  able  to 


I, 


I 


1^^  lit! 


1    •■  1 


,i|,-;;i| 


150 


AWFUL     DISCLOSURES. 


leara  who  she  was.  Preparations  were  therefore  made  to  con- 
duct me  thither ;  and  I  was  soon  in  his  house.  This  was  about 
midday,  or  a  little  later. 

The  doctor  endeavored  to  draw  from  me  some  confession  of 
my  family  :  but  I  refused ;  my  feelings  would  not  permit  me  to 
give  him  any  satisfaction.  He  olfered  to  send  me  to  my  home 
if  I  would  tell  him  where  I  lived;  but  at  length,  thinking  me  un- 
reasonable and  obstinate,  began  to  threaten  to  send  me  to  jail. 

In  a  shore  time  I  found  that  the  latter  measure  was  determined 
on,  and  I  was  soon  put  into  the  hands  of  the  jailer,  Captain  Hol- 
land, and  placed  in  a  private  room  in  his  house. 

I  had  formerly  been  acquainted  with  his  children,  but  had  such 
strong  reasons  for  remaining  unknown,  that  I  hoped  they  would 
not  recognise  me ;  and,  as  we  had  not  met  for  several  years  I 
flattered  myself  that  such  would  be  the  case.  It  was,  at  first,  as 
I  had  hoped;  they  saw  me  in  the  evening,  but  did  not  appear  to 
suspect  who  I  was.  The  next  morning,  however,  one  of  them 
asked  me  if  I  were  not  sister  of  my  brother,  mentioning  his 
name ;  and  though  I  denied  it,  they  all  insisted  that  I  must  be, 
for  the  likeness,  they  said,  was  surprisingly  strong.  I  still  would 
not  admit  the  truth  ;  but  requested  they  would  send  for  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Esson,  a  Presbyterian  clergyman  in  Montreal,  saying  I  had 
something  to  say  to  him.  He  soon  made  his  appearance  and  1 
gave  him  some  account  of  myself,  and  requested  him  to  procure 
uiy  release  from  confinement,  as  I  thought  there  was  no  reason 
"Why  I  should  be  deprived  of  my  liberty. 

Contrary  to  my  wishes,  however,  he  went  and  informed  my 
mother.  An  unhappy  difference  had  existed  between  us  for 
many  years  concerning  which  I  would  not  speak,  were  it  not 
necessary  to  allude  to  it  to  render  some  things  intelligible  which 
are  important  to  my  narrative.  I  am  willing  to  bear  much  of 
the  blame:  for  my  drawing  part  of  her  pension  had  justly  irri- 
tated her.  I  shall  not  attempt  to  justify  or  explain  my  own  feel- 
ings with  respect  to  my  motlier,  whom  I  still  regard  at  least  iu 
some  degree  as  I  ought.  I  will  merely  say,  that  I  thought  slio 
indulged  in  partialities  and  antipathies  in  her  family  during  my 
childhood ;  and  that  I  attribute  my  entrance  into  the  nunnery, 
and  the  misfortunes  I  have  suffered,  to  my  early  estrangement 


PERSECUTIONS. 


151 


•Mlf'  i 


from  home,  and  my  separation  from  the  family.  I  had  neither 
seen  her  nor  heard  from  her  in  several  years;  and  I  knew  not 
wliether  she  had  even  known  of  my  entrance  into  the  Convent, 
although  I  now  learnt,  that  she  still  resided  where  she  formerly 
did. 

It  was  therefore  with  regret  that  I  heard  that  my  mother  had 
been  informed  of  my  condition ;  and  that  I  saw  an  Irishwoman,  an 
acquaintance  of  hers,  come  to  take  me  to  the  house.  I  had  no 
doubt  tliat  she  would  think  I  had  disgraced  her,  by  being  impris- 
oned, as  well  as  by  my  attempt  to  drown  myself;  and  what 
would  be  her  feelings  towards  me,  I  could  only  conjecture. 

I  accompanied  the  woman  to  my  mother^  and  found  nearly 
such  A  reception  as  I  had  expected.  Notwithstanding  our  mu- 
tual feelings  were  much  as  they  had  been,  she  wished  me  to  stay 
with  her,  and  kept  me  in  one  of  her  rooms  for  several  weeks, 
and  with  the  utmost  privacy,  fearing  that  my  appearance  would 
lead  to  questions,  and  that  my  imprisonment  would  become 
known.  I  soon  satisfied  myself  that  she  knew  little  of  what  I 
had  passed  through,  within  the  few  past  years;  and  did  not  think 
it  prudent  to  inform  her,  for  that  would  greatly  have  increased 
the  risk  of  my  being  discovered  by  the  priests.  We  were  sur- 
rounded by  those  who  went  frequently  to  confession,  and  would 
have  thought  me  a  monster  of  wickedness,  guilty  of  breaking  ihe 
most  solenm  vows,  and  a  fugitive  from  a  retreat  which  is  gene- 
rally regarded  there  as  a  place  of  great  sanctity,  and  almo'st  like 
a  gate  to  heaven.  I  well  knew  the  ignorance  and  prejudices  of 
the  poor  Canadians,  and  understood  how  such  a  person  as  myself 
must  appear  in  their  eyes.  They  felt  as  I  formerly  had,  and 
would  think  it  a  service  to  religion,  and  to  God,  to  betray  the 
place  of  my  concealment  if  by  chance  they  should  find,  or  even 
suspect  it.  As  I  had  become  in  the  eyes  of  Catholics,  ''  a  spouse 
of  Jesus  Christ,"  by  taking  the  veil,  rny  leaving  the  Convent 
must  appear  to  them  a  forsaking  of  the  Saviour. 

As  things  were,  however,  I  remained  for  some  time  undis- 
turbed. My  brother,  though  he  lived  iu  the  house,  did  not  know 
of  my  being  there  for  a  fortnight. 

When  he  learnt  it,  and  came  to  see  me,  he  expressed  mnch 
kindness  towards  me :  but  I  had  not  seen  him  for  several  years, 


,1 ,11  <l  Is. 


162 


AWFUL    DISCLOSURES. 


and  had  seen  so  much  evil,  that  I  knew  not  what  secret  motives 
he  might  have,  and  thought  it  prudent  to  be  reserved.  I, 
therefore,  communicated  to  him  nothing  of  my  history  or  in- 
tentions, and  ratlier  repulsed  his  advances.  The  truth  is,  I  had 
been  so  long  among  nuns  and  priests,  that  I  thought  there  was 
no  sincerity  or  virtue  on  earth. 

What  were  my  another's  wishes  or  intentions  towards  me,  I 
was  not  informed :  but  I  found  afterwards,  that  she  must  have 
made  arrangements  to  have  me  removed  from  her  house,  for 
one  day  a  woman  came  to  the  door  with  a  cariole,  and  on  being 
admitted  to  see  me,  expressed  herself  in  a  friendly  manner,  spoke 
of  the  necessity  of  air  and  exercise  for  my  health,  and  invited 
me  to  take  a  ride.  I  consented,  supposing  we  should  soon  re- 
turn :  but  when  we  reached  St.  Antoine  suburbs,  she  drove  up 
to  a  house  which  I  had  formerly  heard  to  be  some  kind  of 
refngie,  stopped,  and  requested  me  to  alight.  My  first  thought 
was,  that  I  should  be  exposed  to  certain  detection,  by  some  of 
the  priests  whom  I  presumed  officiated  there;  as  they  had  all 
known  me  in  the  nunnery.  I  could  not  avoid  entering ;  but  I 
resolved  to  feign  sickness,  hoping  thus  to  be  placed  out  of  sight 
of  the  priests. 

The  result  was  according  to  my  wishes :  for  I  was  taken  to  an 
upper  room,  which  was  used  as  an  infirmary,  and  there  permit- 
ted to,  remain.  There  were  a  large  number  of  women  in  the 
bouse ;  and  a  Mrs.  M'Donald,  who  has  the  management  of  it, 
had  her  daughters  in  the  Ursuline  Kunnery  at  Quebec,  and  her 
son  in  the  college.  The  nature  of  the  establishment  I  could  not 
fully  understand :  but  it  seemed  to  me  designed  to  become  a 
nunnery  at  some  future  time. 

I  felt  pretty  safe  in  the  house,  so  long  as  I  was  certain  of  re- 
maining in  the  infirmary ;  for  there  was  nobody  there  who  had 
ever  seen  me  before.  But  I  resolved  to  avoid,  if  possible,  ever 
making  my  appearance  below,  for  I  felt  that  I  could  not  do  it 
without  hazard  of  discovery. 

Among  other  appendages  of  a  Convent  which  I  observed  in 
that  place,  was  a  confessional  within  the  building,  and  I  soon 
learnt,  to  my  dismay,  that  Father  Bonin,  one  of  the  murderers 
of  Saint  Francis,  was  in  the  habit  of  constant  attendance  as 


PERSECUTIONS. 


153 


priest  and  confessor.  The  recollections  which  I  often  indulged 
in  of  scenes  in  the  Hotel  Dieii,  gave  me  uneasiness  and  distress : 
but  not  knowing  where  to  go  to  seek  greater  seclusion,  I  re- 
mained in  the  infirmary  week  p*'ter  week,  still  affecting  illness 
in  the  best  manner  I  could.  .  it  K^/igth  I  found  that  I  was  sus- 
pected of  playing  off  a  deception  with  regard  to  the  state  of  my 
health ;  and  at  the  close  of  a  few  weeks,  I  became  satisfied  that 
I  could  not  remain  longer  without  making  my  appearance  below 
stairs.  I  at  length  complied  with  the  wishes  I  heard  expressed, 
that  I  would  go  into  the  community-room,  where  those  in  health 
were  accustomed  to  assemble  to  work,  and  then  some  of  the 
women  began  to  talk  of  my  going  to  confession.  I  merely 
expressed  unwillingness  at  first;  but  when  they  pressed  the 
point,  and  began  to  insist,  my  fear  of  detection  overcame  every 
other  feeling,  and  I  plainly  declared  that  I  would  not  go.  This 
led  to  an  altercation,  when  the  mistress  of  the  house  pronounc- 
ed me  incorrigible,  and  said  slie  would  not  keep  me  for  a  hun- 
dred pounds  a  year.  She,  in  fact,  became  so  weary  of  having 
me  there,  that  she  sent  to  my  mother  to  take  me  away. 

My  mother,  in  consequence,  sent  a  cariole  for  me,  and  took 
me  again  into  her  house ;  but  I  became  so  unhappy  in  a  place 
where  I  was  secluded  and  destitute  of  all  agreeable  society,  that 
I  earnestly  requested  her  to  allow  me  to  leave  Canada.  1  believe 
she  felt  ready  to  have  me  removed  to  a  distance,  that  she  plight 
not  be  in  danger  of  having  my  attempt  at  self-destruction,  and 
my  confinement  in  prison  made  public. 

-  There  was  a  fact  which  I  had  not  disclosed,  and  of  which  all 
were  ignorant :  viz.,  that  which  had  so  much  influence  in  excit- 
ing me  to  leave  the  Convent,  and  to  reject  every  idea  of  return- 
ing to  it. 

When  conversing  with  my  mother  about  leaving  Canada,  I 
proposed  to  go  to  New  York.  She  inquired  why  I  wished  to  go 
there.  I  made  no  answer  to  that  question :  for,  though  I  had 
never  been  there,  and  knew  scarcely  anything  about  the  place, 
I  presumed  that  I  should  find  protection  from  my  enemies,  as  I 
knew  it  was  in  a  Protestant  country.  I  had  not  thought  of 
going  to  the  United  States  before,  because  I  had  no  one  to  go 
with  me,  nor  money  enough  to  pay  my  expenses ;  but  then  a 


I 


'f\ 


r  ■! 


,i:    1 


154 


AWFUL    DISCLOSURES. 


plan  presented  itself  to  my  mind,  by  which  I  thought  I  might 
proceed  to  New  York  in  safety. 

There  was  a  man  wlio  I  presumed  would  wish  to  have  me 
leave  Canada,  on  liis  own  account ;  and  that  was  the  man  I  had 
80  precipitately  married  while  residing  at  St.  Denis.  He  must 
have  had  motives,  as  I  thought,  for  wishing  me  at  a  distance. 
I  proposed  therefore  that  he  should  be  informed  that  I  was  in 
Montreal,  and  anxious  to  go  to  the  States ;  and  such  a  message 
was  sent'  to  him  by  a  woman  whom  ray  mother  knew.*  She 
Lad  a  little  stand  for  the  sale  of  some  articles,  and  had  a  husband 
who  carried  on  some  similar  kind  of  business  at  the  Scotch 
mountain.  Through  her  husband,  as  I  suppose,  she  had  my 
message  conveyed,  and  soon  informed  me  that  arrangements 
were  made  for  my  commencing  my  journey,  under  the  care  of 
the  person  to  whom  it  had  been  sent. 


*  Mrs.  Tarbert,  or  M'Qan.   See  her  affldavit.    What  house  ahe  refers  to  I  cannot 
coi^ecture. 


DESIRE  TO  VISIT    THE    UNITED    STATES.      155 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Singular  concurreace  of  circumstancei,  which  enabled  me  to  get  to  the  United  States 
—Intentions  in  going  there — Commence  my  journey — Fears  of  my  companion — 
Stop  at  Whitehall— Iqjury  received  In  a  canal  boat— Arrival  at  New- York — A 
solitary  retreat. 

It  is  remarkable  that  I  was  able  to  stay  so  long  in  the  midst 
of  Catholics  without  discovery,  and  at  last  obtain  the  aid  of  some 
of  them  in  effecting  my  flight.  There  is  probably  not  a  person 
in  Montreal,  wlio  would  sooner  have  betrayed  me  into  tlie  power 
of  priests  than  that  woman,  if  she  had  known  my  iiistory. 

She  was  a  frequent  visitt>r  at  the  Convent  and  the  Seminary, 
and  had  a  ticket  which  entitled  her  every  Monday  to  the  gift 
of  a  loaf  of  bread  from  the  former.  She  had  an  unbounded 
respect  for  the  Superior  and  the  priests,  and  seized  every  oppor- 
tunity to  please  them.  Now  the  fact  that  she  was  willing  to 
take  measures  to  facilitate  my  departure  from  Montreal,  afforded 
sufficient  evidence  to  me  of  her  entire  ignorance  of  myself,  in 
all  respects  in  which  I  could  wish  her  to  be  ignorant;  and  I 
confided  in  her,  because  I  perceived  that  she  felt  no  stronger 
motive,  th«n  a  disposition  to  oblige  my  mother. 

Should  any  thing  occur  to  let  her  into  the  secret  of  my  being 
a  fugitive  from  the  Black  Nunnery,  I  knew  that  I  could  not  trust 
to  her  kindness  for  an  instant.  Tlie  discovery  of  that  fact  would 
transform  her  into  a  bitter  and  deadly  enemy.  She  would  at 
once  regard  me  &s  guilty  of  mortal  sin,  an  apostate,  and  a  proper 
object  of  persecution.  And  this  was  a  reflection  I  had  often 
reason  to  make,  when  thinking  of  the  numerous  Catholics 
around  me.  How  important,  then,  the  keeping  of  my  seci'et, 
and  my  escape  before  the  truth  should  become  known,  even  to  a 
single  person  near  me. 

I  could  realize,  from  the  dangers  through  which  I  was  brought 
by  the  Land  of  God,  how  difficult  it  most  be,  in  most  cases,  for 


I 


Sfrc 


"^^1^ 


156 


AWFUL     DISCLOSURES. 


/' 


a  fugitive  from  a  nunnery  to  obtain  her  final  freedom  from  the 
power  of  her  enemies.  !Even  if  escaped  from  a  Convent,  so  long 
a3  she  remains  among  Catholics,  she  is  in  constant  exposure  to 
be  informed  against;  especially  if  the  news  of  her  escape  ia 
made  public,  which  fortunately  was  not  the  fact  in  my  case. 

If  a  Catholic  comes  to  the  knowledge  of  any  fact  calculated 
to  expose  such  a  person,  he  will  think  it  his  duty  to  disclose  it 
at  confession ;  and  then  the  whole  fraternity  will  be  in  motion 
to  seize  her. 

How  happy  for  me  that  not  a  suspicion  was  entertained  con- 
cerning me,  and  that  not  a  whisper  against  me  was  breathed 
into  the  ear  of  a  single  priest  at  confession ! 

Notwithstanding  my  frequent  appearance  in  the  street,  my 
removals  from  place  to  place,  and  the  various  exposures  I  had  to 
discovery,  contrary  to  my  fears,  wliich  haunted  me  even  in  my 
dreams,  I  was  preserved ;  and  as  I  have  often  thought,  for  the 
purpose  of  making  the  disclosures  which  I  have  made  in  this 
volume.  No  power  but  that  of  God,  as  I  have  frequently 
thought,  could  ever  have  led  me  in  safety  through  so  many 
dangers. 

I  would  not  have  my  readers  imagine,  however,  that  I  had  at 
that  period  any  thought  of  making  known  my  history  to  the 
world.  I  wished  to  plunge  into  the  deepest  possible  obscurity ; 
and  next  to  tlie  fear  of  falling  again  into  the  hands  of  the  priests 
and  Superior,  I  shrunk  most  from  the  idea  of  having  others 
acquainted  with  the  scenes  I  had  passed  through.  Such  a 
thought  as  publishing  never  entered  my  mind  till  months  after 
that  time.  My  desire  was,  that  I  might  meet  a  speedy  death  in 
obscurity,  and  that  my  name  and  my  shame  might  perish  on  earth 
together.  As  for  my  future  doom,  I  still  looked  forward  to  it 
with  gloomy  apprehensions :  for  I  conside*red  myself  as  almost, 
if  not  quite,  removed  beyond  the  reach  of  mercy.  During  all 
the  time  which  had  elapsed  since  I  left  the  Convent,  I  had 
received  no  religious  instruction,  nor  even  read  a  word  in  the 
scriptures ;  and,  therefore,  it  is  not  wonderful  that  I  should  still 
have  remained  under  the  delusions  in  which  I  had  been  educated. 

The  plan  arranged  for  the  commencement  of  ray  journey  was 
this:    I  was  to  cross  the  St.  Lawrence  to  Longueil,  to  meet  the 


DESIRE    TO     ViaiT    THE     UNITED    STATES.      157 


mthe 
o  long 
ure  to 
sape  is 

36. 

julated 
slose  it 
motion 

}d  con- 
reatlied 

jet,  tny 
[  had  to 
a  in  my 
for  the 
in  this 
jquently 
JO  many 


man  who  was  to  accompany  me.  The  woman  who  had  sent  my 
message  into  the  country,  went  with  me  to  the  ferry,  and  crossed 
the  river,  where,  according  to  the  appointment,  we  found  my 
companion.  lie  willingly  untertook  to  accompany  me  to  the 
place  of  my  destination,  aud  at  his  own  expense ;  but  declared, 
that  he  Avas  appreliensive  we  should  bo  pursued.  To  avoid  tlio 
priests,  who  he  supposed  would  follow  us,  he  took  an  indirect 
route,  and  during  about  twelve  days,  or  nearly  that,  which  wo 
spent  on  the  way,  passed  over  a  much  greater  distance  than  was 
necessary.  It  would  be  needless,  if  it  were  possible,  to  mention 
all  the  places  we  visited.  'We  crossed  Carpenter's  ferry,  and 
were  at  Scotch-mountain  and  St.  Alban's;  arrived  at  Champlain 
by  land,  and  there  took  the  steamboat,  leaving  it  again  at 
Burlington. 

As  we  were  riding  towards  Charlotte,  my  companion  enter- 
tained fears,  which,  to  me,  appeared  ridiculous ;  but  it  was 
impossible  for  me  to  reason  him  out  of  them,  or  to  hasten  our 
journey.  Circumstances  which  appeared  to  me  of  no  moment 
whatever, would  influence,  and  sometimes  would  make  him  change 
his  whole  plan  and  direction.  As  we  were  one  day  approach- 
ing Charlotte,  for  instance,  on  inquiring  of  a  person  on  the  way, 
whether  there  were  any  Canadians  there,  and  being  informed 
there  were  not  a  few,  and  that  there  was  a  Roman  Catholic 
priest  residing  there,  he  immediately  determined  to  avoid  the 
place,  and  turned  back,  although  we  were  then  only  nine  miles 
distant  from  it. 

During  several  of  the  first  nights  after  leaving  Montreal,  he 
suffered  greatly  from  fear ;  and  on  meeting  me  in  the  morning, 
repeatedly  said :  "  "Well,  thank  God,  we  are  sate  so  far !"  When 
we  arrived  at  Whitehall,  he  had  an  idea  we  shonld  run  a  risk 
of  meeting  priests,  who  he  thought,  were  in  search  of  us,  if  we 
went  immediately  on ;  and  insisted  that  we  had  better  stay 
there  a  little  time,  until  they  should  have  passed.  In  spite  of 
my  anxiety  to  proceed,  we  accordingly  remained  there  about  a 
week ;  when  we  entered  a  canal-boat  to  proceed  to  Troy. 

An  unfortunate  accident  ha]Spejied  to  me  while  on  our  way. 
1  was  in  the  cabin,  when  a  gun,  which  had  been  placed  near 
me,  was  started  from  its  place  by  the  motion  of  the  boat, 


I 


«Q8 


AWFUL     DISCLOSURES. 


oansed  by  another  boat  running  against  it,  and  striking  me  on 
my  left  side,  threw  me  some  distance.  The  shock  was  violent, 
and  I  thought  myself  injured,  but  hoped  the  effects  would  soon 
pass  off.  I  was  afterwards  taken  with  vomiting  blood ;  and 
this  alarming  symptom  several  times  returned  ;  but  I  was  able 
to  keep  up. 

We  came  without  any  unnecessary  delay  from  Troy  to  New 
York,  where  we  arrived  in  the  morning,  either  on  Thursday  or 
Friday,  as  I  believe :  but  my  companion  there  disappeared  with- 
out informing  me  where  he  was  going,  and  I  saw  him  no  more. 
Being  now,  as  I  presumed,  beyond  the  reach  of  my  enemies,  I 
felt  relief  from  the  fear  of  being  carried  back  to  the  nunnery, 
and  sentenced  to  death  or  the  cells:  but  I  was  in  a  large  city 
where  I  had  not  a  friend.  Feeling  overwhelmed  with  my  mis- 
erable condition,  I  longed  for  death ;  and  yel  I  felt  no  desire  to 
make  another  attempt  to  destroy  myself. 

On  the  contrary,  I  determined  to  seek  some  solitary  retreat, 
and  await  God's  time  to  remove  me  from  a  world  in  which  I 
had  found  so  much  trouble,  hoping  and  believing  that  it  would 
not  be  long. 

Not  knowing  which  way  to  go  to  find  solitude,  I  spoke  to  a 
little  boy,  whom  I  saw  on  the  wharf,  and  told  him  I  would  give 
him  some  money  if  he  would  lead  me  into  the  "  Imh.^''  (This 
is  the  common  word  by  which,  in  Canada,  we  speak  of  the 
woods  or  forests.)  When  he  understood  what  I  meant,  he  told 
me  that  there  was  no  hwh  about  New  York ;  but  consented  to 
lead  me  to  the  most  lonely  place  he  knew  of.  He  accordingly 
set  off,  and  I  followed  him,  on  a  long  walk  to  the  upper  part  of 
the  city,  and  beyond,  until  we  reached  the  outskirts  of  it.  Turn- 
ing off  from  the  road,  we  gained  a  little  hollow,  where  were  a 
few  trees  and  bushes,  a  considerable  distance  from  any  house; 
and  there,  he  told  me,  was  the  loneliest  place  with  which  he  was 
acquunted.  I  paid  him  for  his  trouble  out  of  the  small  stock 
of  money  I  had  in  my  possession,  and  let  him  go  home,  desiring 
him  to  come  the  next  day,  and  bring  me  something  to  eat,  with 
a  few  pennies  which  I  gave  him. 


DESPONDENCT. 


159 


g  md  on 
i)  violent, 
)uld  soon 
)0(1;  and 
wa8  able 

y  to  Kew 
lursday  or 
ared  with- 
L  no  more, 
enemies^,  I 
e  nunnery, 
i  large  city 
th  my  mis- 
QO  desire  to 

tary  retreat, 

in  which  I 

aat  it  would 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

Reflections  and  sorrow  in  solitude— Night— Fears— Exposure  to  rain— Discovered 
by  stranger*— Their  unwelcome  kindness — Tulten  to  the  Bellevue  Almshouse. 

TnEBE  I  found  myself  once  more  alone,  and  truly  it  was  a 
great  relief  to  sit  down  and  feel  that  I  was  out  of  the  reach  of 
priests  and  nuns,  and  in  a  spot  where  I  could  patiently  wait  for 
death,  when  God  might  please  to  send  it,  instead  of  being  abused 
and  tormented  accgrding  to  the  caprices  and  passions  of  my 
persecutors. 

But  then  again  returned  most  bitter  anticipations  of  the 
future.  Life  had  no  attractions  fur  me,  for  it  must  be  connected 
with  shame ;  but  death  under  any  circumstances,  could  not  be 
divested  of  horrors,  so  long  as  I  believed  in  the  doctrines  relat- 
ing to  it  which  had  been  inculcated  upon  me. 

The  place  where  I  had  taken  up,  as  I  supposed,  my  last  earthly 
abode,  was  pleasant  in  clear  and  mild  weather ;  and  I  spent 
most  of  my  time  in  as  much  peace  as  the  state  of  my  mind 
would  permit.  I  saw  houses,  but  no  human  beings,  except  on 
the  side  of  a  little  hill  near  by,  where  were  some  men  at  work, 
making  sounds  like  those  made  in  hammering  stone.  Tbe  shade 
around  me  was  so  thick  that  I  felt  assured  of  being  sufficiently 
protected  from  observation  if  I  kept  still ;  and  a  cluster  of  bushes 
offeired  me  shelter  for  the  night.  As  evening  approached,  I  was 
somewhat  alarmed  by  the  sound  of  voices  near  me,  and  I  found 
that  a  number  of  labourers  were  passing  that  way  from  their 
work.  I  went  in  a  fright  to  the  thickest  of  the  bushes,  and 
lay  down,  until  all  again  was  still,  and  then  ventured  out  to  take 
my  seat  again  on  the  turf. 

Darkness  now  came  gradually  on ;  and  with  it  feara  of  ano- 
ther description.  The  thought  struck  me  that  there  might 
be  wild  beasts  in  that  neighborhood,  ignorant  as  I  then  was  of 


I 


f. 


160 


AWFUL    DISCLOSURES. 


.    - 


the  country ;  and  the  more  I  thought  of  it,  the  more  I  became 
alarmed.  I  lieard  no  olanuing  sound,  it  is  true ;  but  I  knew  not 
how  soon  some  prowling  and  ferocious  beast  might  come  upon 
mo  in  my  defenceless  condition,  and  tear  me  in  pieces.  I  retired 
to  my  bushes,  and  stretched  myself  under  them  upon  the  ground: 
but  1  found  it  impossible  to  sleep  ;  and  my  mind  was  almost  con- 
tinually agitated  by  thoughts  on  the  future  or  the  past. 

In  the  morning  the  little  boy  made  his  appearance  again,  and 
brought  me  a  few  cakes  which  he  had  purchased  for  me.  lie 
sliowed  liiuch  interest  in  me,  inquired  why  I  did  not  live  in  a 
house  ;  and  it  was  with  difficulty  that  I  could  satisfy  him  to  let 
me  remain  in  my  solitary  and  exposed  condition.  Understanding 
that  I  wished  to  continue  unknown,  he  assured  me  that  he  had 
not  told  even  his  mother  about  me ;  and  I  had  reason  to  believe 
that  he  faithfully  kept  my  secret  to  the  last.  Though  he  lived  a 
considerable  distance  from  my  hiding-place,  and,  us  I  supposed, 
far  down  in  the  city,  he  visited  me  almost  every  day,  even  when 
I  had  not  desired  him  to  bring  me  any  thing.  Several  times  I 
received  from  him  some  small  supplies  of  food  for  the  money  I 
had  given  him.  I  once  gave  him  a  half-dollar  to  get  changed ; 
and  he  brought  me  Lack  every  penny  of  it,  at  his  next  visit. 

As  I  had  got  my  drink  from  a  brook  or  pool,  which  was  at 
no  great  distance,  he  brought  me  a  little  cup  one  day  to  drink 
out  of;  but  this  I  was  not  allowed  to  keep  long,  for  he  soon  after 
told  me  that  his  mother  wanted  it,  and  he  must  return  it.  He 
several  times  arrived  quite  out  of  breath,  and  when  I  inquired 
the  reason,  calling  him  as  I  usually  did,  "Little  Tommy"  he  said 
it  was  necessary  for  him  to  run,  and  to  stay  but  a  short  time, 
that  he  might  be  at  school  in  good  season.  Thus  he  continued 
to  serve  me,  and  keep  my  secret,  at  great  inconvenience  to  him- 
Belf,  up  to  the  last  day  of  my  stay  in  that  retreat;  and  I  believe 
he  would  have  done  so  for  tliree  months  if  I  had  remained 
there.  I  should  like  to  see  him  again  and  hear  his  broken 
English. 

I  had  now  abundance  of  time  to  reflect  on  my  lost  condition ; 
and  many  a  bitter  thought  passed  through  my  mind,  as  I  sat  on 
the  ground,  or  strolled  about  by  day,  and  lay  under  the  bashes 
at  night. 


DESPONDENOT. 


161 


I      1'  II 


became 

cncw  not 

ine  upon 

I  I'C'lired 

!  ground: 

nost  con- 
tain, and 
me.    lie 

live  in  a 

bim  to  let 

Bvstanding 

lat  he  had 

to  believe 

he  lived  a 

[  supposed, 

even  when 

ral  times  I 

jie  money  I 

|t  changed ; 

t  visit. 

lich  vras  at 
ly  to  di'ink 

|e  soon  after 
irn  it.    He 
I  inquired 
ly"  he  said 
short  time, 
continued 
[nee  to  him- 
id  I  believe 
d  remained 
his  broken 

condition ; 
as  I  sat  on 
the  bushea 


Sometimes  I  reflected  on  the  doctrines  I  had  heard  at  the  nun- 
nery, concerning  sins  and  penances,  Purgatory  and  Hell ;  and 
sometimes  on  my  late  companions,  and  the  crimes  I  liad  Mvit- 
nessed  in  the  Convent. 

Sometimes  I  would  sit  and  8oriously  consider  how  I  might  best 
dcritroy  my  life;  and  sometimes  would  sing  a  few  of  the  Iiyiuns 
\^'ith  wliich  I  was  familiar;  but  I  never  felt  willing  or  disposed 
to  pray,  as  I  supposed  there  was  no  hope  of  mercy  fur  me. 

One  of  the  first  nights  I  spent  in  that  houseless  condition  was 
stormy ;  and  though  I  crept  under  the  thickest  of  the  buslics, 
and  had  more  protection  against  the  rain  than  one  might  have 
expected,  I  was  almost  entirely  wet  before  morning;  and,  it  may 
he  supposed,  passed  a  more  nncomfortable  night  than  usual.  The 
next  day  I  was  happy  to  find  the  weather  clear,  and  was  able  to 
dry  my  garments  by  taking  off  one  at  a  time,  and  spreading  them 
on  the  bushes.  A  night  or  two  after,  however,  I  was  again 
exposed  to  a  heavy  rain,  and  had  the  same  process  afterward  to 
go  through  with :  but  what  is  remarkable,  I  took  no  cold  on 
either  occasion ;  nor  did  I  suffer  any  lasting  injury  from  all  the 
exposures  I  underwent  in  that  place.  The  inconveniences  I  had 
to  encounter,  also,  appeared  to  me  of  little  importance,  not  being 
sufficient  to  draw  off  my  mind  from  its  own  troubles ;  and  I  had 
no  intention  of  seeking  a  more  comfortable  abode,  still  looking 
forward  only  to  dying  as  soon  as  God  would  permit,  alone  and  in 
that  spot. 

One  day,  however,  when  I  had  been  there  about  ten  days,  I 
was  alarmed  at  seeing  four  men  aproaching  me.  All  of  them 
had  guns,  as  if  out  on  a  shooting  excursion.  They  expressed 
much  surprise  and  pity  on  finding  me  there,  and  pressed  me 
with  questions.  I  would  not  give  them  any  satisfactory  account 
of  myself,  my  wants,  or  intentions,  being  only  anxious  that  they 
might  withdraw.  I  found  them,  however,  too  much  interested 
to  render  me  some  service  to  be  easily  sent  away ;  and  after  some 
time,  thinking  there  would  be  no  other  way,  I  pretended  to  go 
away  not  to  return.  After  going  some  distance,  and  remaining 
some  time,  thinking  they  had  probably  left  the  place,  I  returned ; 
but  to  my  mortification  found  they  had  concealed  themselves  to 
see  whether  I  would  come  back.    They  now,  more  urgently  than 


I 


li 


162 


AWrUL    DISCLOSURES. 


before,  insisted  on  my  removing  to  sotno  other  place,  wliere  I 
might  bti  comt'tirtable.  They  continued  to  question  mu ;  but  I 
became  distressed  in  a  degree  I  cannot  describe,  hardly  !;nowing 
vrliat  I  did.  At  last  I  called  the  oldest  gentleman  aside,  and  told 
him  something  of  my  history.  He  ezi>ressed  great  interest  for 
mc,  offered  to  take  me  anywhere  I  would  tell  him,  and  nt  last 
insisted  that  I  should  go  with  him  to  his  own  house.  All  thcvso 
offers  I  refused  ;  on  which  one  proposed  to  take  me  to  the  Alms- 
house, and  even  to  carry  mo  by  force  if  I  would  not  go  willingly. 
To  this  I  at  length  consented  ;  but  some  delay  took  place,  and  I 
became  unwilling,  so  that  with  reluctance  I  was  taken  to  tha^ 
institution,  which  was  about  half  a  mile  distant.* 

*  See  the  alB(l«vlt  of  Mr.  HiUlker,  In  Appendix.  The  letter  to  which  he  refori  I  had 
forgotten  to  mention.  It  contain!  a  short  account  of  the  crimes  I  had  witnessed  in 
the  uiumery,  and  was  written  on  paper  which  *'  little  Tommj  "  had  bought  for  me. 


KNTER    THE    ALMSHOUSE. 


168 


CHAPTER  XXVr. 

Reception  at  the  Atmiliouae— Menage  from  Mr.  Conroy,  a  Roman  prieit  in  New< 
York — Ills  Invitationi  to  a  private  Interview — Ills  claims,  propoiiUons,  and 
threats— Mr.  Kelly's  message— Uffeots  of  reading  the  Bible. 


I 


i 


I  WAS  now  at  once  made  comfortable,  and  attended  with  kind- 
ness and  care.  It  is  not  to  bo  expected  in  such  a  place,  where  so 
many  poor  and  suffering  people  are  collected  and  duties  of  a 
difficult  nature  are  to  bo  daily  performed  by  those  engaged  in 
the  care  of  the  institution,  that  petty  vexations  should  not  occur 
to  indivi;luals  of  all  descriptions. 

But  in  spite  of  all,  I  received  kindness  and  sympathy  from 
several  persons  around  me,  to  whom  I  feel  thankful. 

I  was  standing  one  day  at  the  window  of  the  room  number 
twenty-six,  which  is  at  the  end  of  the  hospital  building,  when  I 
saw  a  spot  I  once  visited  in  a  little  walk  I  took  from  my  hiding- 
place.  My  feelings  were  diffei'ent  now  in  some  respects,  from 
what  they  had  been ;  for,  though  I  suffered  much  from  my  fears 
of  future  punishment,  for  the  sin  of  breaking  my  Convent  vows, 
I  had  given  up  the  intention  of  destroying  my  life. 

After  I  had  been  some  time  in  the  Institution,  I  found  it  was 
reported  by  some!  about  me,  that  I  was  a  fugitive  nun ;  and  it  was 
not  long  after,  that  an  Irish  woman,  belonging  to  the  Institution, 
brought  me  a  secret  message,  which  caused  me  some  agitation. 

I  was  sitting  in  the  room  of  Mrs.  Johnson,  the  matron, 
engaged  in  sewing,  when  that  Irish  woman,  employed  in  the 
Institution,  came  in  and  told  me  that  Mr.  Conroy  was  below, 
and  had  sent  to  see  me.  I  was  informed  that  he  was  a  Roman 
priest,  who  often  visited  the  house,  and  he  had  a  particular  wish 
to  see  me  at  that  time ;  having  come,  as  I  believe,  expressly  for 
that  purpose.  I  showed  unwillingness  to  comply  with  such  an 
invitation,  and  did  not  go.    The  woman  told  me  further,  that  he 


164 


AWFUL    DISCLOSURES. 


I 


§ 


seut  me  word  that  I  need  not  think  to  avoid  him,  for  it  would 
be  impossible  for  me  to  do  so.  I  miglit  conceal  myself  as  well 
as  I  could,  but  I  should  be  found  and  taken.  No  matter  w}iere 
I  went,  or  what  hiding-place  I  might  choose,  I  should  be  known ; 
and  I  had  better  come  at  once.  He  knew  who  I  was ;  and  he 
was  authorized  to  take  me  to  the  Sisters  of  Charity,  if  I  should 
prefer  to  join  them.  He  would  promise  that  I  might  stay  with 
tliem  if  I  chose,  and  be  permitted  to  remain  in  New- York.  lie 
sent  me  word  further,  that  he  had  received  full  power  and 
authority  over  me  from  the  Superior  of  the  Hotel  Dieu  Nunnery 
of  Montreal,  and  was  able  to  do  all  that  she  could  do ;  as  her 
right  to  dispose  of  me  at  her  will  had  been  imparted  to  him  by 
a  regular  writing  received  from  Canada.  This  was  alarming 
information  for  me,  in  the  weakness  in  which  I  was  at  that  time. 
The  woman  added,  that  the  same  authority  had  been  given  to 
all  the  priests ;  so  ihat^  go  where  I  might,  I  should  meet  men 
informed  about  me  and  my  escape,  and  fully  empowered  to 
seize  me  wherever  they  could,  and  convey  me  back  to  the 
Convent,  from  which  I  had  escaped. 

Under  these  circumstances,  it  seemed  to  me  that  the  offer  to 
place  me  among  the  Sisters  of  Charity,  with  permission  to 
remain  in  New- York,  was  mild  and  favourable.  However,  I 
had  resolution  enough  to  refuse  to  see  the  priest  Conroy. 

Not  long  afterward,  I  was  informed  by  the  same  messenger, 
that  the  priest  was  again  in  the  building,  and  repeated  his 
request.  I  desired  one  of  the  gentlemen  connected  with  the 
Institution,  that  a  stop  might  be  put  to  such  messages,  as  I 
wished  to  receive  no  more  of  them.  A  short  time  after,  how- 
ever, the  woman  told  me  that  Mr.  Conroy  wished  to  inquire  of 
me  whether  my  name  was  not  St.  Eustace  while  a  nun,  and  if  I 
had  not  confessed  to  Priest  Kelly  in  Montreal.  I  answered,  that 
it  was  all  true;  for  I  had  confessed  to  him  a  short  time  while  in 
the  nunnery.  I  was  then  told  again  that  the  priest  wanted  to 
see  me,  and  I  sent  back  word  that  I  would  see  him  in  the 
presence  of  Mr.  Tappan,  or  Mr.  Stevens ;  which,  however,  was 
not  agreed  to ;  and  I  was  afterwards  informed,  that  Mr.  Conroy, 
the  Roman  priest,  spent  an  hour  in  a  room  and  a  passage  where 
I  had  frequently  been;  but  through  the  mercy  of  iiod,  I  was 


^  ^ 


ENTER    THE    ALMSHOUSE. 


165 


employed  in  another  place  at  that  tim3,  and  had  no  occasion  to 
go  wlitre  T  should  have  met  him.  I  afterwards  repeatedly  heard, 
that  Mr.  Gonroy  continued  to  visit  the  house,  and  to  ask  for  me ; 
but  I  never  saw  him.  I  once  had  determined  to  leave  the  Insti- 
tution, and  go  to  the  Sisters  of  Charity;  hut  circumstances 
occurred  which  gave  me  time  for  further  reflection ;  and  I  was 
saved  from  the  destruction  to  which  I  should  have  been  exposed. 

As  the  period  of  my  accouchment  approached,  I  sometimes 
thought  that  I  should  not  survive  it ;  and  then  the  recollection 
of  the  dreadful  crimes  I  had  vritnessed  in  the  nunnery  would 
come  upon  *rae  very  powerfully,  and  I  would  think  it  a  solemn 
duty  to  disclose  them  before  I  died.  To  have  a  knowledge  of 
those  things,  and  leave  the  world  without  making  them  known, 
appeared  to  me  like  a  great  sin :  whenever  I  could  divest  inyself 
of  the  impression  made  upon  me,  by  th«  declarations  and  argu- 
ments of  the  Superior,  nuns,  and  priests,  of  the  duty  of  submit- 
ting to  every  thing,  and  the  necessary  holiness  of  whatever  the 
latter  did  or  required. 

The  evening  but  one  before  the  period  which  I  anticipated 
with  so  much  anxiety,  I  was  sitting  alone,  and  began  to  indulge 
in  reflections  of  this  kind.  It  seemed  to  me  that  I  must  be  near 
the  close  of  my  life,  and  I  determined  to  make  a  disclosure  at 
once.  I  spoke  to  Mrs.  Ford,  a  woman  whose  character  I 
respected,  a  nurse  in  the  hospital,  in  number  twenty-three.  I 
informed  her  that  I  had  no  expectation  of  living  Ion  ;,  and  had 
some  things  on  my  mind  which  I  wished  to  communic  ate  before 
it  should  be  too  late.  I  added,  that  I  should  prefer  tc  tell  them 
to  Mr.  Tappan,  the  chaplain,  of  wnich  she  approved,  at  she  con- 
sidered it  a  duty  to  do  so  under  those  circumstances.  I  had  no 
opportunity,  however,  to  converse  with  Mr.  T.  at  that  time,  and 
probably  my  purpose,  of  disclosing  the  facts  already  given  in 
this  book,  would  never  have  been  executed  but  for  what 
subsequently  took  place. 

It  was  alarm  which  had  led  me  to  form  such  a  determination; 
and  when  the  period  of  trial  had  been  safely  passed,  and  I  had 
a  prospect  of  recovery,  anything  appeared  to  me  more  likely 
than  that  I  should  make  this  exposure. 

I  was  then  a  Roman  Oatholio,  at  least  a  great  part  of  my 


I. 


166 


AWFUL    DISCLOSURES. 


time ;  and  my  conduct,  in  a  great  measure,  was  according  to  the 
faitli  and  motives  of  a  Roman  Catholic.  Notwithstanding  what 
I  knew  of  the  conduct  of  so  many  of  tlie  priesta  and  nuns,  I 
thou^'ht  that  it  had  no  elfect  on  the  sanctity  of  the  Church,  or  the 
authority  or  effects  of  the  acts  performed  by  tlie  former 
at  tlie  mass,  confession,  &c.  I  had  such  a  regard  fur  my  vows 
as  a  nun,  tliat  I  considered  my  liand  as  well  as  my  heart  irrevo- 
cably given  to  Jesus  Christ,  and  could  never  liave  allowed  any 
person  to  take  it.  Indeed,  to  this  day,  I  feel  an  instinctive 
aversion  to  offering  my  hand,  or  taking  the  hand  of  another 
person,  even  as  an  expression  of  friendship.  I  also  thought  that 
I  iniglit  soon  return  to  the  Catholics,  although  fear  and  disgust 
held  me  back.  I  had  now  that  infant  to  think  for,  whose  life  I 
had  happily  saved  by  my  timely  escape  from  the  nunnery ;  and 
what  its  fate  might  be,  in  case  it  should  ever  fall  into  the  power 
of  the  priests  I  could  not  tell. 

I  had,  however,  reason  for  alarm.  Would  a  child  destined  to 
destruction,  like  the  infants  I  had  seen  baptized  and  smothered, 
be  allowed  to  go  through  the  world  unmolested,  a  living  memo- 
rial of  the  truth  of  crimes  long  practised  in  security,  because 
never  exposed?  What  pledges  could  I  get  to  satisfy  me,  that  I, 
on  whom  her  dependence  must  be,  would  be  spared  by  those 
who  I  had  reason  to  think  were  then  wishing  to  sacrifice  me? 
How  could  I  trust  the  helpless  infant  in  hands  which  had  hastened 
the  baptism  of  many  such,  in  order  to  hurry  them  to  the  secret 
pit  in  the  cellar  ?  Could  I  suppose  that  Father  Phelan^  Priest 
of  the  Pariah  Church  of  Montreal,  would  see  his  own  child 
growing  up  in  the  world,  and  feel  willing  to  run  the  risk  of 
Laving  the  truth  exposed?  What  could  I  expect,  especially 
from  him,  but  the  utmost  rancor,  and  the  most  determined 
enmity  against  the  innocent  child  and  its  abused  and  defenceless 
mother? 

Yet,  my  mind  would  sometimes  still  incline  in  the  opposite 
direction,  and  indulge  the  thought,  that  perhaps  the  only  way 
to  secure  heaven  .0  us  both,  was  to  throw  ourselves  back  into 
the  hauvls  of  the  Church,  to  be  treated  as  she  pleased.  When, 
therefore,  the  fear  of  inunedinte  death  was  removed,  I  retiounc- 
ed  all  thoughts  of  communieating  the  substance  of  the  facti?  in 


ENTERS     THE     ALMSHOUSE. 


167 


the  fttcts  in 


this  volume.  It  happened,  however,  that  my  danger  was  not 
pnsst'd.  I  was  soon  seized  with  very  alarming  symptoms ;  then 
my  desire  to  disclose  my  story  revived. 

I  liad  before  had  an  opportunity  to  speak  in  private  with  the 
chiiplnin  ;  but,  as  it  was  at  a  time  when  I  supposed  myself  out 
of  danger,  I  had  deferred  for  three  days  my  proposed  communi- 
cation, thinking  that  I  might  yet  avoid  it  altogetlier.  When  my 
symptoms,  however,  became  more  alarming,  I  was  anxious  for 
Saturday  to  arrive,  the  day  which  I  had  appointed ;  and  when 
I  had  not  the  opportunity  on  that  day,  which  I  desired,  I 
thougljt  it  might  be  too  late.  I  did  not  see  him  till  Monday, 
when  my  prospects  of  surviving  were  very  gloomy  ;  and  T  then 
informed  him  that  I  wished  to  communicate  to  him  a  few  eecrotSj 
which  were  likely  otherwise  to  die  with  me.  I  then  told  hiin_, 
that  wlrile  a  nun,  in  the  convent  of  Montreal,  I  had  witnessed 
the  murder  of  a  nun,  called  Saint  Francis,  and  of  at  least  one  of 
the  infants  which  I  have  spoken  of  in  this  book.  I  added  some 
few  circumstances,  and  I  believe  disclosed,  in  general  terms, 
faonie  of  the  otl^er  crimes  I  knew  of  in  that  nunnery. 

My  anticipations  of  death  proved  to  bo  unfounded ;  for  my 
Leallli  afterward  improved,  and  had  I  not  made  the  confessions 
on  that  occasion,  it  is  vei*y  possible  I  never  might  have  made 
them.  I,  however,  afterward,  felt  more  willing  to  listen  to  in- 
struction, and  experienced  friendly  attentions  from  some  of  the 
benevolent  persons  around  me,  who,  taking  an  interest  in  me  on 
account  of  my  darkened  understanding,  furnished  me  with  the 
Bible,  and  were  ever  ready  to  counsel  me  when  I  desired  it. 

I  soon  began  to  believe  that  God  might  have  intended  that 
his  creatures  should  learn  his  will  by  reading  his  word,  and 
taking  upon  them  tlie  free  exercise  of  their  reason,  and  acting 
under  responsibility  to  him. 

It  is  difficult  for  one  who  has  never  given  way  to  such  argu- 
ments and  influences  as  those  to  whicli  I  had  been  exposed,  to 
realize  ho\v  hard  it  is  to  think  aright  .*fter  thinking  wrong.  The 
Scriptures  always  atfect  me  powerfully  when  I  read  them  ;  but 
I  feel  that  I  have  but  just  begun  to  learn  the  great  truths,  in 
which  I  ought  to  have  been  ea'-ly  and  thoroughly  instructed.  I 
reali2e,  in  some  degree,  how  it  is,  that  the  Scriptures  render  the 


I 


\> 


168 


AWFUL    DISCLOSURES. 


1 

lf|j 

"  *.  ' 

■  «     , 

i 

if  if 

people  of  the  United  States  so  strongly  opposed  to  sncli  doctrines 
as  are  tauglit  in  the  Black  and  the  Congregational  Nunneries  of 
Montreal.  The  priests  and  nuns  used  often  to  declare,  that  of 
all  heretics,  the  children  from  the  United  States  were  the  most 
diffiuult  to  be  converted ;  and  it  was  thought  a  great  triumph 
when  one  of  them  woa  brought  over  to  "  the  true  faith."  The 
first  passage  of  Scripture  that  made  any  serious  impression  upon 
my  mind,  was  the  text  on  which  the  chaplain  preached  on  the 
Sabbath  after  my  introduction  into  the  house — *^  Search  the 
Scriptures." 

I  made  some  hasty  notes  of  the  thoughts  to  which  it  gave  rise 
in  my  mind,  and  often  recurred  to  the  subject.  Yet  I  sometimes 
questioned  the  justice  of  the  views  I  began  to  entertain,  and  was 
ready  to  condemn  myself  for  giving  my  mind  any  liberty  to  seek 
for  information  concerning  the  foundations  of  my  former  faith. 


RETURN    TO    MONTREAL 


169 


ill  doctrines 
inneries  of 
ire,  that  of 
re  the  most 
at  triuinpU 
aitb."    The 
essioa  upon 
lied  on  iho 
'Search  tho 

X  it  gave  rise 
,  I  sometimes 
tain,  and  was 
berty  to  seek 
ormer  faith. 


CHAPTER  XXVn. 

Proposition  to  go  to  Montreal  and  testify  against  the  priests— Oommencement  of 
mj  Journey— Stop  at  Troy,  Whitehall,  Burlington,  St.  Alban'a,  Plattsburgh,  and 
St.  John's— Arriral  at  Montreal— Reflections  on  passing  the  Nunnery.  Ae. 

Aboft  a  fortnight  after  I  had  made  the  disclosures  mentioned 
in  the  last  chapter,  Mr.  Hoyt  called  at  the  Ilospital  to  make 
inquiries  about  me.  I  was  introduced  to  him  by  Mr.  Tappan. 
After  some  conversation,  he  asked  me  if  I  would  consent  to  visit 
Montreal,  and  give  my  evidence  against  the  priests  and  nuns 
before  a  court.  I  immediately  expressed  my  willingness  to  do 
so,  on  condition  that  I  should  be  protected.  It  immediately 
occurred  to  me,  that  I  might  enter  the  nunnery  at  night,  and 
bring  out  the  nuns  in  the  colls,  and  possibly  Jane  Bay,  and  that 
they  would  confirm  my  testimony.  In  a  short  time,  arrange- 
ments were  made  for  our  journey,  I  was  furnished  with  clothes ; 
and  although  my  strength  was  but  partially  restored,  I  set  off 
in  pretty  good  spirits. 

Our  journey  was  delayed  for  a  little  while,  by  Mr.  Hoyt's 
waiting  to  get  a  companion.  He  had  engaged  a  clergyman  to 
accompany  us,  as  I  understood,  who  was  prevented  from  going 
by  unexpected  business.  We  went  to  Troy  in  a  steamboat;  and, 
while  there,  I  had  sever&l  interviews  with  some  gentlemen  who 
were  informed  of  ray  history,  and  wished  to  see  me.  They 
appeared  to  be  deeply  impressed  with  the  importance  of  my 
testimony ;  and  on  their  recommendation  it  was  determined 
that  we  should  go  to  St.  Alban's,  on  our  way  to  Montreal,  to  get 
a  gentleman  to  accompany  us,  whose  advice  and  assistance,  as 
an  experienced  lawyer,  were  thought  to  be  desirable  to  us  in 
prosecuting  the  plan  we  had  ,in  view :  viz,  the  exposure  of  the 
crimes  with  which  1  was  acquainted. 

We  travelled  frcm  Troy  to  Whitehall  in  a  canal  packet,  because 

8 


I 


i. 


^ 


i,3 


110 


AWFUL     DISCLOSURES. 


the  eftsy  motion  was  best  adapted  to  ray  state  of  health.  We 
met  oil  board  the  Kev.  Mr.  Spragiic  of  New  York,  with  whom 
Mr.  Hoyt  was  acquainted,  and  wlioiu  he  tried  to  persuade  to 
accompany  us  to  Montreal.  From  AVliitehall  to  Burlington  wo 
proceeded  in  a  steamboat ;  and  there  I  wr.s  so  nmch  indisposed, 
that  is  was  necessary  to  call  a  phyfioian.  After  a  little  rest,  wo 
set  otf  in  the  stago  for  St.  Alban's  ;  and  on  arriving,  found  that 
Judge  Turner  was  out  of  town.  AVe  had  to  remain  a  day  or 
two  before  he  returned ;  and  then  he  said  it  would  be  impossible 
for  liim  to  accompany  us.  After  some  deliberation,  it  w^as 
decided  tliac  Mr.  liunt  should  go  to  Montreal  with  us,  and  that 
Judge  Turner  should  follow  and  join  us  there  as  soon  as  his 
healtli  and  business  would  permit.* 

Wc  tlierefore  crossed  the  lake  by  the  ferry  to  Plattsburgh, 
where,  afier  some  delay,  we  embarked  in  a  steamboat,  which 
took  us  to  St.  John's.  Mr.  Hunt,  who  had  not  reached  the  ferry 
early  enough  to  cross  with  us,  had  proceeded  on  to  *  *  *,  and 
there  got  on  board  the  steamboat  in  the  night.  We  went  on  to 
Laprairie  with  little  delay,  but  finding  that  no  boat  was  to  cross 
.:^  St.  Lawrence  at  that  place  during  the  day,  wo  had  to  take 
anotlier  private  carriage  to  Longeuil,  whence  we  rowed  across 
to  Monf    d  by  tiiree  men,  in  a  small  boat. 

1  had  felt  quite  bold  and  resolute  when  I  first  consented  to  go 
to  Montreal,  and  also  during  my  journey  :  but  when  I  8tepi)ed 
on  shore  in  the  city,  I  thought  of  the  ditferent  scenes  1  liad 
witnessed  there,  and  of  the  ri!*ks  I  might  run  before  I  should 
leave  it.  We  got  into  a  caleche,  and  rode  along  towards  tlio 
hotel  where  we  were  to  stop.  We  passed  up  St.  Paul's  street; 
and,  altliough  it  was  dusk,  I  recognised  every  thing  1  had  known. 
We  came  at  lengtii  to  the  nunnery ;  and  then  many  recolleiaions 
crowded  upon  me.  First,  I  saw  a  window  from  whicli  I  had 
sojnetiiiie>  looked  at  some  of  the  distant  houses  in  tliat  street; 
an<l  1  wondered  whetiier  some  of  my  old  acquaintances  were 
eniphned  as  fori  >e'-ly.  liut  I  thought  if  1  were  once  within 
thv)se  walls*,  1  sho  lid  bo  in  the  coll.?  for  the  remainder  of  my 


i 


*  Mr.  Hunt  was  recomniended  as  a  highly  respectable  lawyer ;  to  whoau  klndifO^Si 
as  well  M  that  o.  Judge  Vuiner,  I  feel  myself  uuder  obligations. 


RETURN    TO    MONTREAL. 


ni 


r.,i^tt^.„- 


th.  We 
h  whom 
oiade  to 
igtuu  wo 
disposod, 

rest,  wo 
und  that 
a  day  or 
lupossiblo 
1,  it  was 

and  that 
un  as  his 

attsburgh, 
)at,  which 
d  the  ferry 
*  *  *,  and 
went  on  to 
ran  to  cross 
ad  to  take 
ved  across 

jnted  to  go 
1  stepped 
jenes  1  had 
e  1  should 
awards  tlio 
nVs  street ; 
lad  known. 
icoUeciions 
inch  I  hud 
.hat  street ; 
lances  were 
incc  witliin 
Inder  of  my 

rhosokindi)C8*i 


life,  or  perhaps  be  condemned  to  something  still  more  severe. 
I  remembered  the  murder  of  St.  Francis,  and  the  Aviiole  scene 
returned  to  mo  as  if  it  had  just  taken  place ;  the  appearance, 
language,  and  conduct  of  the  persons  most  active  in  her  destruc- 
tion. Those  persons  were  now  all  near  me,  and  would  use  all 
exertions  they  safely  might,  to  get  me  again  into  their  power. 

And  certainly  they  had  greater  reason  to  bo  exasperated 
against  me,  than  against  that  poor  helpless  nun,  who  had  only 
expressed  a  wish  to  escape.* 

When  I  found  myself  safely  in  Goodenough's  hotel,  in  a  retired 
room,  and  began  to  tiiink  alone,  the  most  gloomy  apprehensions 
filled  my  mind.  I  could  not  eat,  I  had  no  appetite,  and  I  did 
not  sleep  all  night.  Every  painful  scene  that  I  ever  passed 
tlirough,  seemed  to  return  to  my  mind  ;  and  such  was  my  agita- 
tion, I  could  fix  my  thoughts  upon  nothing  in  particular.  I  had 
left  New  York  when  the  state  of  my  health  was  far  from  being 
established;  and  my  strength,  as  may  be  presumed,  was  now 
much  reduced  by  the  fatigue  of  travelling.  I  shall  be  able  to 
give  but  a  faint  idea  of  the  feelings  with  which  I  passed  that 
night,  but  must  leave  it  to  the  imagination  of  my  readers.  Now 
once  more  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Convent,  and  surrounded 

*  My  gloomy  feelings  however  did  not,  always  prevail.  I  had  hope  of  obtaining 
evidence  to  prove  my  cliarges.  I  proposed  to  my  companions  to  be  allowed  to  pro- 
ceed that  evening  to  execute  tlie  plan  I  had  formed  when  a  journey  to  Montrciil  had 
first  been  mentioned.  This  was  to  follow  the  physician  into  the  nunnery,  conceal 
myair  under  the  red  calico  sofa  in  the  sitting-room,  find  my  way  into  the  collar 
after  all  was  still,  release  the  nuns  from  tiieir  cells,  and  bring  them  out  to  confirm 
my  testimony.  I  was  aware  that  there  were  husards  of  my  not  succeeding,  and 
that  I  must  forfeit  my  life  if  detected-  -but  I  was  desperate ;  and  feeling  as  if  I  could 
not  long  live  in  Montreal,  thought  I  might  as  well  die  one  wuy  as  another,  and  that 
I  liad  better  die  in  the  performance  of  a  good  deed.  I  thought  of  attempting  to 
bt'-^out  Jane  Ray — but  that  seemed  (|uite  out  of  the  question,  ati  an  old  nun  is 
commonly  engaged  in  cleaning  a  community-room,  through  which  I  should  have  to 
pass  ;  and  how  could  I  hope  to  get  into,  and  out  of  the  sleeping- room  unobserved  f 
I  could  not  even  determine  that  the  iinpriboned  nuii&  would  follow  mo  out — for 
tlicy  might  be  afraid  to  trust  me.  However,  I  determined  to  try,  and  prc!iu>ning  my 
companions  had  all  along  understood  and  approved  my  plan,  told  them  I  was  ready 
to  gc  at  once.  I  was  chagrined  and  mortified  more  than  I  can  express,  when  tlity 
objected,  and  almost  refused  to  permit  rac.  1  insisted  and  urged  the  importance 
of  the  step — but  they  represented  xn  extreme  ruslitiess.  This  conduct  of  theirs, 
for  a  time  diminished  my  confidence  in  them,  a)*bough  everybody  ebe  has  appro- 
ved of  it. 


I 


IN 


112 


AWFUL    DISCLOSURES. 


by  the  nuns  and  priests,  of  whose  conduct  I  had  made  the  first 
disclusures  ever  made,  surrounded  by  thousands  of  persons  devo- 
ted to  them,  ond  ready  to  proceed  to  any  outroge,  as  I  feared, 
wlienever  their  interference  might  be  desired,  there  was  abun- 
dant reason  for  my  uneasiness. 

I  now  began  to  realize  that  I  liad  some  attachment  to  life  re- 
maining. When  I  consented  to  visit  the  city,  and  furnish  tlio 
evidence  necessary  to  lay  open  the  iniquity  of  the  Convent,  I  had 
felt,  in  a  measure,  indifferent  to  hfe ;  but  now,  when  torture 
and  death  seemed  at  hand,  I  shrunk  from  it.  Por  myself,  lit'o 
could  not  be  said  to  be  of  much  value.  Uow  could  I  be  happy 
with  such  things  to  reflect  upon  as  I  had  passed  through  ?  and 
liow  could  I  enter  society  with  gratification  ?  But  my  infant  I 
could  not  abandon,  for  who  would  care  for  it  if  its  mother  died. 

I  was  left  alone  in  the  morning  by  the  gentlemen  who  had  ac- 
companied me,  as  they  went  to  take  immediate  measures  to  opca 
the  intended  investigation.  Being  alone  I  thought  of  my  own 
position  in  every  point  of  view,  until  I  became  more  agitated 
than  ever.  I  tried  to  think  what  persons  I  might  safely  apply 
to  as  friends ;  and  though  still  undecided  what  to  do,  I  arose, 
thinking  it  might  be  unsafe  to  remain  any  longer  exposed,  as  I 
imagined  myself,  to  be  known  and  seized  by  my  enemies. 

I  went  from  the  hotel,*  hurried  along,  feeling  as  if  I  were  on 
my  way  to  some  asylum,  and  thinking  I  would  first  go  to  tlio 
house  where  I  had  several  times  previously  found  a  temporary 
refuge.  I  did  not  stop  to  reflect  that  the  woman  was  a  devoted 
Catholic  and  a  friend  to  the  Superior ;  but  thought  only  of  her 
kindness  to  me  on  former  occasions,  and  hastened  along  Notre 
Bame  street.  But  I  was  approaching  the  Seminary ;  and  a  resolu- 
tion was  suddenly  formed  to  go  and  ask  the  pardon  and  intercession 
of  the  Superior.  Then  the  character  of  Bishop  Lartique  seemed 
to  present  an  impassable  obstacle ;  and  the  disagreeable  aspect 


*  It  occurred  to  me,  that  I  might  have  been  seen  by  some  person  on  landing,  who 
might  recognise  me  If  I  appeared  in  the  streets  in  the  same  dress ;  aid  I  requested 
one  of  the  female  servants  to  lend  me  some  of  hers.  I  obtained  a  hat  and  shawl 
from  her  with  which  I  left  the  house.  When  I  found  myself  in  Ndtre  Dame  Btr  et, 
the  utmost  indccisioD  what  to  do,  and  the  thought  of  my  friendless  condition  almost 
overpowered  me. 


RETURN    TO     MONTREAL. 


173 


10  tbo  first 
rsons  devo- 
,3  I  feared, 

was  abun- 

t  to  life  re- 
furnish tlio 
nvent,  1  bad 
hen  torturo 
myself,  life 

1 1  be  happy 
irougb?  and 
;  my  infant  I 
mother  died. 
1  who  had  ac- 
isures  to  opeu 
it  of  my  own 
nore  agitated 
t  safely  apply 
)  do,  I  arose, 
exposed,  as  I 
leniies. 

if  I  were  on 
irst  go  to  tlio 
1  a  temporary 
was  a  devoted 
it  only  of  ber 
I  along  N6tre 
;  and  a  rcsolu- 
ad  intercession 
irtiqtie  seemed 
reeable  aspect 

)n  on  landing,  ^^o 
, ;  aid  I  requested 
I  a  hat  and  shi"* 
pS6tre  Dame  Btr  et, 
fas  condlUon  almost 


and  harsh  voice  of  tho  man  ns  I  recalled  him,  struck  me  with 
hurrur.  I  recollected  him  as  I  had  known  him  wbeii  engaged  in 
scenes  concealed  from  tbe  eye  of  the  world.  The  tlioiigbt  of 
bitn  made  me  decide  not  to  enter  the  Seminary.  I  hurried, 
therefore,  by  the  door ;  and  the  great  church  being  at  hand,  my 
next  thought  was  to  enter  there.  I  reached  the  steps,  walked  in, 
dipped  my  finger  into  the  holy  water,  crossed  myself,  turned  to 
tlio  first  image  I  saw,  which  was  that  of  Saint  Magdalen,  threw 
myself  upon  my  knees,  and  began  to  repeat  prayers  witli  the  ut- 
most fervour.  I  am  certain  that  I  never  felt  a  greater  desire  to 
find  relief  from  any  of  the  Saints ;  but  my  agitation  liardly  seemed 
to  subside  during  my  exercise,  which  continued,  perhaps,  a  quar- 
ter of  an  hour  or  more.  I  then  rose  from  my  knees,  and  placed 
myself  under  the  protection  of  St.  Magdalen  and  St.  Peter  by 
these  words :  "  Je  me  meta  sous  v6tre  protection'^ — (I  place  myself 
under  your  protection ;)  and  added,  ^^  Sainte  Marie,  mhrc  du 
bonpasteur,  prie  pour  woi" — (Holy  Mary,  mother  of  the  tood 
shepherd,  pray  for  me.) 

I  then  resolved  to  call  once  more  at  the  house  where  I  had 
found  a  retreat  after  my  escape  from  the  nunnery,  and  proceed- 
ed along  the  streets  in  that  direction.  On  my  way,  I  had  to  pass 
a  shop  kept  by  a  woman'"  I  formerly  had  an  acquaintance  witli. 
Siie  happened  to  see  me  passing,  and  immediately  said,  ^'  Maria 
is  that  you  ?    Come  in." 

I  entered,  and  she  soon  proposed  to  me  to  lot  her  go  and  tell 
my  mother  that  I  had  returned  to  the  city.  To  this  I  objected. 
I  went  with  her,  however,  to  the  house  of  one  of  her  acquaintan- 
ces near  by  where  I  remained  some  time,  during  which  she  went 
to  my  mother's  and  came  with  a  request  from  her,  that  I  would 
have  an  interview  with  her,  proposing  to  come  up  and  see  me, 
saying  that  she  had  something  very  particular  to  say  to  me. 
What  this  was,  I  could  not  with  any  certainty  conjecture.  I  had 
my  suspicions  that  it  might  be  something  from  the  priests,  de- 
signed to  get  me  back  into  their  power,  or,  at  least,  to  suppress 
my  testimony. 

I  felt  an  extreme  repugnance  to  seeing  my  mother,  and  in  tho 

*  This  waa  Mrs.  Tarbert. 


m 


I 


m 


AWFUL     DISCLOSURES, 


(]i«trc8*liit;  stale  of  appreliengion  and  uncertninty  in  "wlnch  I 
WHS,  could  (lituniiiiio  oti  ut»tliing,  except  to  iivoiil  her.  I  there- 
fore soon  left  tlie  Ijoiise,  and  walked  on  wilho.it  .my  |mrticiilur 
object.  Tlie  wiaiher  was  then  very  uiipleiisant,  and  it  wiw 
raining  in(!e.ssantly.  To  this  I  was  very  iuditferent,  and  walked 
on  till  I  liad  got  to  the  suburbs,  and  found  myself  beyond  the 
windmills.  Then  I  returned,  and  passed  back  thruugi:  the  city, 
still  not  recognised  by  anybody. 

I  onco  saw  one  of  my  brothers,  unkss  I  was  much  mistaken, 
and  thought  he  knew  me.  If  it  was  he,  I  aui  confident  he 
avoided  me,  and  that  was  my  belief  at  the  time,  ns  he  went  into 
a  yard  with  the  appearance  of  nmch  agitation.  I  continued  to 
walk  up  and  down  most  of  the  day,  fearful  of  8toppinj<  any- 
where, lest  I  should  be  recognised  by  my  enemies,  or  betrayed 
into  their  power.  1  felt  all  the  distress  of  a  feeble,  territied 
woman,  in  need  of  protection,  and,  as  I  thought,  without  a  friend 
in  whom  1  could  safely  confide.  It  distressed  uiu  extremely  to 
think  of  my  poor  babe ;  and  I  had  now  been  so  long  absent  iVom 
it,  as  necessarily  to  suffer  much  inconvenience. 

I  recollected  to  liave  been  told,  in  the  New  York  Hospital, 
that  laudanum  would  relieve  distress  both  bodily  and  mental,  by 
a  woman  who  had  urged  mo  to  make  a  trial  of  it.  In  my 
despair,  I  resolved  to  make  an  experiment  with  it,  and  entering 
an  apothecary^s  shop  asked  for  some.  The  apothecary  refused 
to  give  me  any ;  but  an  old  man  who  was  there,  told  me  to  conio 
in,  and  inqiiir;  d  where  I  had  been,  and  what  was  the  matter 
with  me,  seeing  that  I  was  quite  wet  through.  I  let  him  know 
that  I  had  an  infant,  and  on  his  urging  me  to  tell  more,  I  told 
liim  whero  my  mother  lived,  lie  went  out,  and  soon  after 
returned  accompanied  by  iny  mother,  who  told  me  she  had  my 
child  at  home,  and  pressed  me  to  go  to  her  house  and  8^*it,  -ray- 
ing she  would  not  insist  on  my  entering,  but  would  bring  it  out 
to  mo. 

I  consented  to  accompany  lier;  but  on  reaching  the  door,  she 
began  to  urge  me  to  go  in,  saying  I  should  not  be  known  to  the 
rest  of  the  family,  but  ndght  stay  there  in  perfect  privacy.  I 
was  resolved  not  to  comply  with  this  request,  and  resisted  all 
her  entreaties,  though  she  continued  to  urge  me  for  a  long  time, 


RKTURX     TOMONTREAL. 


115 


peHinps  lialf  an  liour.  At  length  slie  went  in,  and  I  wnlked 
awiiy,  in  a  Mtafc  no  lei's  ikspcrato  lian  before.  Indeed,  nij?lit 
\V)\H  now  n|>|>ruucliiM}jr,  tlio  rain  continued,  and  I  liad  no  prospect 
of  f'lod,  rest,  or  even  slnlter.  I  wont  on  till  1  reached  the 
parade-jrndind,  nnnotit'ed,  I  believe,  by  anybody,  except  one 
man,  who  a^*ked  wiiero  I  was  goinj;,  hut  to  whom  I  gave  no 
answer.  I  had  told  my  motlier,  before  she  had  left  me,  that  »ho 
mifriti  Ind  mo  in  the  parade-ground.  Tliero  I  stopped  in  a  part 
of  the  open  ground  where  there  waa  no  probal»iIity  of  my  being 
observed,  aii<l  stood  thinking  of  the  many  distressing  tiling!! 
which  liara-  1  mo;  sutlViing,  indeed,  from  exposure  to  wet 
and  cold,  but  .  different  to  iliem  as  evils  of  mere  tritling  impor- 
tance, and  expecting  tiiat  deatli  would  Hoon  ease  me  <>i"  my  present 
eutferings.  I  had  hoped  that  my  motlier  would  1  ring  my  babe 
to  mo  there  ;  but  us  it  was  growing  lat  gfivo  up  all  expecta- 
tion of  Heeiiig  her. 

At  length  she  came,  acconipanied  by  Mr.  TToyt,  who,  as  I 
afterward  learnt,  bad  called  on  her  after  my  leaving  the  hotel, 
and,  at  her  request,  had  intrust*  d  my  fldld  to  her  care.  Calling 
again  after  I  had  left  her  house,  she  had  informed  him  that  she 
now  knew  where  I  was,  and  con-;ented  to  lead  him  to  the  spot. 
I  wttij  hard  y  able  to  sjjoak  or  t<»  walk,  in  coiise([uenco  of  the 
hard8hip^  T  had  undergone;  but  being  taken  to  a  small  inn,  and 
put  under  the  care  of  several  women,  I  was  mado  comfortable 
with  a  change  of  clothes  and  a  warm  bed.* 


•  I  afterward  learnt,  that  the  two  gentlemen  who  accompanied  me  from  tlie 
Statt'S,  liud  been  geckiiig  nie  wUli  great  anxiety  all  day.  I  perxLited  in  not  going  to 
my  mother's,  and  that  was  the  reason  wliy  we  applied  to  strangers  for  a  lodging. 
Fur  some  tine  It  appeared  doubtful  whether  I  ithouid  And  any  refuge  fur  the  night, 
as  several  Innall  Innrt  in  the  neighbourhood  proved  to  be  full.  At  length,  however, 
lodging^^e  obtained  for  me  in  one,  and  I  experienced  kindness  from  the  renmles 
of  the  hoirte,  who  put  me  into  a  wurm  bed,  and  by  careful  treatment  soon  n-ndered 
me  more  comfortable.  I  thought  I  heard  tlie  voice  of  a  woman,  in  the  course  of 
tl)e  evening,  whom  I  had  seen  about  the  nunnery,  and  ascertained  tlial  I  was  not 
mitttaken. 

I  forgot  to  menUon,  that,  while  preparing  to  leave  Uiis  house  the  next  day,  Mrs. 

Tarbert  came  in  and  spoke  with  me.    She  said,  that  she  hud  Just  come  fi i  the 

government-house,  and  asked,  "  What  are  all  those  men  at  your  modier's  for?  what 
is  going  on  there  ?"    I  told  her  I  could  not  tell.    She  said,  "  Your  mother  wants  to 


"I 


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IMAGE  EVALUATION 
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Corporation 


23  WBT  MAIN  STRHT 

WltSTn,N.Y.  14SM 

(716)173-4903 


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k 

ne 


AWFUL    DISCLOSURES. 


•peak  with  yoa  reiy  mneh."    I  told  her  I  would  not  go  to  her  home,  for  X  fetred 
there  wm  lome  plan  to  get  me  into  the  hands  of  the  priest*. 

The  Inn  In  which  I  was,  is  one  near  the  goTernment-house,  In  a  block  owned  bj 
ihe  Baroness  de  Montenac,  or  the  Baroness  de  Longeuil,  her  daughter.  I  think  it 
must  be  a  respectable  house,  in  spite  of  what  Mrs.  Tarbert  says  in  her  affidavit. 
Mrs.  Tarbert  is  the  woman  spoken  of  several  times  in  the  "  Sequel,"  without  being 
named ;  as  I  did  not  know  how  to  spell  her  name  till  her  affidavit  came  out. 


RETURN    TO    MONTREAL. 


in 


CHAPTER  XXYIII. 

Received  into  a  hospitable  family— Fluctuating  feelings— Visits  from  several  per- 
sons— Father  Phelan's  declarations  against  me  in  his  church— Interviews  with  a 
Journeyman  Carpenter— Arguments  with  him. 

In"  the  morning  I  received  an  invitation  to  go  to  the  house  of 
a  respectable  Protestant,  an  old  inhabitant  of  the  city,  who  had 
been  informed  of  my  situation ;  and  although  I  felt  hardly  able 
to  move,  I  proceeded  thither  in  a  cariole,  and  was  received  with 
a  degree  of  kindness,  and  treated  with  such  care,  that  I  must 
ever  retain  a  lively  gratitude  towards  the  family. 

On  Saturday  I  had  a  visit  from  Dr.  Robertson,  to  whose  house 
I  had  been  taken  soon  after  my  rescue  from  drowning.  He  put 
a  few  questions  to  me,  and  soon  withdrew. 

On  Monday,  after  the  close  of  mass,  a  Canadian  man  came  in, 
and  entered  into  conversation  with  the  master  of  the  house  in 
an  adjoining  room.  He  was,  as  I  understood,  a  journeyman 
carpenter,  and  a  Catholic,  and  having  heard  that  a  fugitive  nun 
was  somewhere  in  the  city,  began  to  speak  on  the  subject  in 
French.  I  was  soon  informed  that  Father  Phelan  had  just 
addressed  his  congregation  with  much  apparent  excitement 
about  myself;  and  thus  the  carpenter  had  received  his  informa- 
tion. Father  Phelan^s  words,  according  to  what  I  heard  said  by 
numerous  witnesses  at  different  times,  must  have  been  much 
like  the  following: — 

"  Th($i*e  is  a  certain  nun  now  in  this  city,  who  has  left  our 
faith,  iind  joined  the  Protestants.  She  has  a  child,  of  which 
she  is  ready  to  swear  I  am  the  father.  She  would  be  glad  in 
this  way  to  take  away  my  gown  from  me.  If  I  knew  where  to 
find  her,  I  would  put  her  in  prison.  I  mention  this  to  guard 
you  against  being  deceived  by  what  she  may  say.  The  devil  has 
such  a  hold  npon  people  now-a-days,  that  there  is  danger  that 
some  might  believe  her  story." 

8* 


m 


n     ^  ill 


i'l 


'•M 


;  ' 


ii 


i»  1     I 


1    f 


Sit 


178 


AWFUL    DISCLOSURES. 


Before  he  cuiicluded  bis  speech,  as  was  declared,  he  burst  iqto 
tears,  and  appeared  to  be  quite  overcome.  When  the  congrega- 
tion had  been  dismissed,  a  number  of  them  came  round  him, 
and  he  told  some  of  them,  that  I  was  Antichrist ;  I  was  not  a 
human  being,  as  he  was  convinced,  but  an  evil  spirit,  who  had 
got  among  the  Catholics,  and  been  admitted  into  the  nunnery, 
where  I  had  learnt  the  rules  so  that  I  could  repeat  them.  My 
appearance,  he  declared,  was  a  fulfilment  of  prophecy,  as  Anti- 
christ is  foretold  to  be  coming,  in  order  to  break  down,  if  possi- 
ble, the  Catholic  religion. 

The  journeyman  carpenter  had  entered  the  house  where  I 
lodged  under  these  impressions,  and  had  conversed  some  time  on 
the  subject,  without  any  suspicion  that  I  was  near.  After  he 
had  railed  against  me  with  much  violence,  as  I  afterwards 
learned,  the  master  of  the  house  informed  him  that  he  knew 
something  of  the  nun,  and  mentioned  that  she  charged  the 
priests  of  the  Seminary  with  crimes  of  an  awful  character;  in 
reply  to  which  the  carpenter  expressed  the  greatest  disbelief. 

"  You  can  satisfy  yourself,"  said  the  master  of  the  house,  "  if 
you  will  take  the  trouble  to  step  up  stairs :  for  she  lives  in  my 
family." 

"I  see  her  I"  he  esolaimed — "No,  I  would  not  see  the 
wretched  creature  for  any  thing.  I  wonder  you  are  not  afraid 
to  have  her  in  your  house — she  will  bewitch  you  all — the  evil 
spirit!" 

After  some  persuasion,  however,  he  came  into  the  room 
where  I  was  sitting,  but  looked  at  me  with  every  appearance  of 
dread  and  curiosity ;  and  his  exclamations,  and  subsequent  con- 
versation, in  Canadian  French,  were  very  ludicrous. 

"  Eh  bin,"  he  began  on  first  seeing  me,  "  c'est  ici  la  inalheu- 
reuse?"  [Well,  is  this  the  poor  creature?]  But  he  stood  at 
a  distance,  and  looked  at  me  with  curiosity  and  evident  ftar.  I 
asked  him  to  sit  down,  and  tried  to  make  him  feel  at  his  ease, 
by  speaking  in  a  mild  and  pleasant  tone.  He  soon  became  so 
far  master  of  himself,  as  to  enter  into  conversation. 

"  I  understood,"  said  he,  "  that  she  has  said  very  hard  things 
against  the  priests.  How  oan  that  be  true?"  "I  can  easily 
convince  you,"  said  I,  "  that  they  do  what  they  ought  not,  and 


RETURN     TO     MONTREAL 


119 


''ll'lJi'UE'.  ■ 


commit  crimes  of  the  kind  I  complain  of.  You  are  married,  I 
suppose?  He  assented.  "You  confessed,  I  presume,  on  tlie 
morning  of  your  wedding-day  ?"  He  acknowledged  that  he  did. 
"  Tlien  (lid  not  the  priest  tell  you  at  confession,  that  he  had  had 
intercourse  witli  your  intended  bride,  but  that  it  was  for  her 
sanctific.'ition,  and  that  you  must  never  reproach  her  with  it?" 

This  question  instantly  excited  him,  but  he  did  not  hesitate 
a  moment  to  answer  it.  "Yes,"  replied  he;  and  tliat  looks 
black  enough."  I  had  put  the  question  to  him,  because  I  knew 
the  practice  to  which  I  alluded  had  prevailed  at  St.  Denis  while 
I  was  there,  and  believed  it  to  be  universal,  or  at  least  very  com- 
mon in  all  the  Catholic  parishes  of  Canada.  I  thought  I  had 
reason  to  presume,  that  every  Catholic,  married  ia  Canada,  had 
had  such  experience,  and  that  an  allusion  to  the  conduct  of  the 
priest  in  this  particular,  must  compel  any  of  them  to  admit  that 
my  declarations  were  far  from  being  incredible.  This  was  the 
effect  on  the  mind  of  the  simple  mechanic;  and  from  that 
moment  he  made  no  more  serious  questions  concerning  my 
truth  and  sincerity,  during  that  interview. 

Further  conversation  ensued,  in  the  course  of  which  I  expressed 
the  willingness  which  I  have  often  declared,  to  go  into  the  Con- 
vent and  point  out  things  which  would  confirm,  to  any  doubting 
person,  the  truth  of  my  heaviest  accusations  against  the  priests 
and  nuns.  At  length  he  withdrew,  and  afterwards  entered, 
saying  that  he  had  been  to  the  Convent  to  make  inquiries  con- 
cerning me.  He  assured  me  that  he  had  been  told  that  although 
I  had  once  belonged  to  the  nunnery,  I  was  called  St.  Jacques, 
and  not  St.  Eustace;  and  that  now  they  would  not  own  or 
recognize  me.  Then  he  began  to  curse  me,  but  yet  sat  down,  as 
if  disposed  for  further  conversation.  It  seemed  fCd  if  he  was 
affected  by  the  most  contrary  feelings,  and  in  rapid  succession. 
One  of  the  things  he  said,  was  to  persuade  me  to  leave  Montreal. 
' "  I  advise  you,"  said  he,  "  to  go  away  to-morrow."  I  replied 
that  I  was  in  no  haste,  and  might  stay  a  month  longer. 

Then  he  fell  to  cursing  me  once  more :  but  the  next  moment 
broke  out  against  the  priests,  calling  them  all  the  names  he  could 
think  of.  His  passion  became  so  high  against  them,  that  he  soon 
began  to  rub  himself,  as  the  low  Canadians,  who  are  apt  to  be 


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\% 


180 


AWFUL    DISCLOSURES. 


very  passionate,  sometimes  do,  to  calm  their  feelings,  when  they 
are  excited  to  a  painful  degree.  After  this  explosion  he  again 
became  quite  tranquil,  and  turning  to  me  in  a  frank  and  friendly 
manner,  said :  "  I  will  help  you  in  your  measures  against  the 
priests :  but  tell  me,  first — ^you  are  going  to  print  a  book,  are 
you  not  ?"    "  No,"  said  I,  "  I  have  no  thoughts  of  that." 

Then  he  left  the  house  again,  and  soon  returned,  saying  he 
had  been  in  the  Seminary,  and  seen  a  person  who  had  known 
me  in  the  nunnery,  and  said  I  had  been  only  a  novice,  and  that 
he  would  not  acknowledge  me  now.  I  sent  back  word  by  him, 
that  I  would  show  one  spot  in  the  nunnery  that  would  prove 
I  spoke  the  truth.  Thus  he  continued  to  go  and  return  several 
times,  saying  something  of  the  kind  every  time,  until  I  became 
tired  of  him.  He  was  so  much  enraged  once  or  twice  during 
some  of  the  interviews,  that  I  felt  somewhat  alarmed;  and 
some  of  the  family  heard  him  swearing  as  he  went  down  stairs : 
"Ah,  sacre — that  is  too  black  1" 

He  came  at  last,  dressed  np  like  a  gentleman,  and  told  me  be 
was  ready  to  wait  on  me  to  the  nunnery.  I  expressed  my 
surprise  that  he  should  expect  me  to  go  with  him  alone,  and  told 
him  I  had  never  thought  of  going  without  some  protector,  still 
assuring,  that  with  any  person  ta.  secure  my  return,  I  would 
cheerfully  go  all  over  the  nunnery,  and  show  sufficient  evidence 
of  the  truth  of  what  I  alleged. 

My  feelings  continued  to  vary :  I  was  sometimes  fearful,  and 
sometimes  so  courageous  as  to  think  seriooi^  of  going  into  the 
Becolet  church  during  mass,  with  my  child  in  my  arms,  and 
calling  upon  the  priest  to  own  it.  And  this  I  am  confident  I 
should  have  done,  but  for  the  persuasions  used  to  prevent  me.* 

*  I  did  not  make  up  my  mind  (so  far  as  I  remember),  pubiicly  to  proclaim  who 
was  tlie  father  of  my  child,  unless  required  to  do  so,  until  I  learnt  that  Father 
Phelan  bad  denied  it.  . 


t 


,-rVi     » 

0: 


RETURN     TO     MONTREAL. 


181 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

A  Blllkman—  An  Irishwoman— Difficulty  in  having  my  Affidavit  talcen— Legal  objee- 

tion  to  it  when  taicen. 


I 


m 


Anothkr  person  who  express  "*  a  strong  wish  to  see  me,  was 
an  Irish  milkman.  He  had  heaid,  what  seemed  to  have  heen 
pretty  generally  reported,  that  I  blamed  none  but  the  Irish 
priests.  He  put  the  question,  wl^ther  it  was  a  fact  that  I  accus- 
ed nobody  but  Father  Phelan.  I  told  him  that  it  was  not  so ; 
and  this  pleased  him  so  well,  that  he  told  me  if  I  would  stay  in 
Montreal,  I  should  have  milk  for  myself  and  my  child  as  long  as 
I  lived.  It  is  well  known  that  strong  antipathies  have  long  existed 
between  the  French  and  Irish  Oatholics  in  the  city. 

The  next  day  the  poor  Irishman  returned,  but  in  a  very 
differtot  state  of  mind.  He  was  present  at  church  in  the  morn- 
ing, he  said,  when  Father  Phelan  told  the  congregation  that  the 
nun  of  whom  he  had  spoken  before,  had  gone  to  court  and 
accused  him ;  and  that  he,  by  the  power  he  possessed,  had  struck 
her  powerless  as  she  stood  before  the  judge,  so  that  she  sunk 
helpless  op  the  floor.  He  expressed,  by  the  motion  of  his  hands, 
the  unresisting  manner  in  which  she  had  sunk  under  the  myste- 
rious influence,  and  declared  that  she  would  have  died  on  the 
spot,  but  that  he  had  chosen  to  keep  her  alive  that  she  might 
retract  her  false  accusion.  This,  he  said,  she  did,  most  humbly, 
before  the  court,  acknowledging  that  she  had  been  paid  a  hundred 
pounds  as  a  bribe. 

The  first  words  of  the  poor  milkman,  on  revisiting  me,  therefore, 
were  like  these :  "  That*s  to  show  you  what  power  the  priest 
has!  Didn't  hie  give  it  to  you  in  the  court  ?  It  is  to  be  hoped 
yon  will  leave  the  city  now.''  He  then  stated  what  he  had  heard 
Father  Phelan  say^  and  expressed  his  entire  conviction  of  its 


> 

H|ii 

^ 

ilfe'- 

tl 

182 


AWFUL    DISCLOSURES. 


truth,  and  tbe  extreme  joy  he  felt  on  discovering,  as  he  supposed 
he  had,  that  his  own  priest  was  innocent,  and  bad  gained  such 
a  triumph  over  me. 

A  talkative  Irish  woman  also  made  her  appearance,  among 
those  who  called  at  the  house,  and  urged  for  permission  to  see 
me.  Said  she,  "  I  have  heard  dreadful  things  are  told  by  a  nun 
you  have  here,  against  tbe  priests ;  and  I  have  to  convince  my- 
self of  tbe  truth.  I  want  to  see  the  nun  you  have  got  in  your 
bouse."  When  informed  that  I  was  unwell,  and  not  inclined  at 
present  to  see  any  more  strangers,  she  still  showed  much  disposi- 
tion to  obtain  an  interview.  "Well,  ain't  it  too  bad,"  she  asked, 
"  that  there  should  be  any  reason  fcr  people  to  say  such  things 
against  the  priestst**  At  length  she  obtained  admittance  to  the 
room  where  I  was,  entered  with  eagerness,  and  approached  me. 

"  Arrab,"  she  exclaimed,  "  God  bless  you — is  this  you  ?  Now 
sit  down,  and  let  me  see  the  child.  And  is  it  Father  Phelan's, 
God  bless  you  ?  But  they  say  you  tell  about  murders ;  and  1 
want  to  know  if  they  are  all  committed  by  the  Irish  priests." 
"Oh  no,"  replied  I,  "by  no  means."  Then  God  bless  you," 
said  she.  "If  you  will  live  in  Montreal,  you  shall  never  want. 
I  will  see  that  neither  you  nor  your  child  ever  want,  for  putting 
part  of  the  blame  upon  the  French  priests.  I  am  going  to  Father 
Fhelan,  and  I  shall  tell  him  about  it.  But  they  say  you  are  an 
evil  spirit.  I  want  to  know  whether  it  is  so  or  not."  "  Oome 
here,"  said  I,  "  feel  me,  and  satisfy  yourself.  Besides,  did  you 
ever  bear  of  an  evil  spirit  having  a  child  ?" 

I  heard  from  those  about  me,  that  there  was  great  difiSonlty  in 
finding  a  magistrate  willing  to  take  my  affidavit.  I  anf^erfectly 
satisfied  that  this  was  owing  to  the  influence  of  tbe  priests  to 
prevent  my  accusations  against  them  from  been  made  public. 
One  evening  a  lawyer,  who  bad  been  employed  for  the  purpose, 
accompanied  me  to  a  French  justice  with  an  afi[ldavit  ready 
prepared  in  English,  for  his  signature,  and  informed  him  that  he 
wished  him  to  administer  to  me  the  oath.  Without  any  appar- 
ent suspicion  of  me,  the  justice  said,  "  Have  you  heard  of  the 
nun  who  ran  away  from  the  Oonvent,  and  has  oome  back  to  the 
oity,  to  bear  witness  against  the  priests  ?"  "  No  matter  about 
that  now,"  replied  the  lawyer  hastily;  "I  have  no  time  to  talk 


RETURN     TO     MONTREAL. 


188 


lupposed 
aed  such 

J,  among 
)tt  to  see 
by  a  nun 
ince  my- 
t  in  your 
aclined  at 
2b  disposi- 
she  asked, 
acU  things 
.nee  to  the 
ached  me. 
on?    Now 
r  Phelan's, 
leva;  and  I 
ih  pviests." 
bless  you," 
aever  want. 

br  putting 
ig  to  Father 

you  are  an 
"  Oome 

les,  did  you 


. » 


difficulty  in 
kriPperfectly 
le  priests  to 
nade  public, 
the  purpose, 
idavit  ready 
him  that  he 
any  appar- 
leard  of  the 
back  to  the 
latter  about 
time  to  talk 


with  you — ^you  will  take  this  person's  oath  now  or  not?"  He 
could  not  read  a  word  of  the  document,  because  it  was  not  in  his 
own  language,  and  soon  placed  his  signature  to  the  bottom.  It 
proved,  however,  that  we  had  gained  nothing  by  this  step,  for 
the  lawyer  afterward  informed  us,  that  the  laws  required  the 
affidavit  of  a  nun  or  minor  to  be  taken  before  a  superior  iuagis> 
trate. 


I 


liiii,  ii- 


i 

•  if 


)      I  ! 


d': 


m 


11';: 


lil^ 


184 


AWFUL     DISCLOSURES. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

***'|»»I,^^  Interview  with  the  Attorney  General  of  the  Province— Attempt  to  abduct  me— More 
interviews— A  mob  excited  against  me— Protected  by  two  soldiers— Convinced  that 
an  investigation  of  my  charges  couid  not  be  obtained— Departure  from  Montreal 
—Closing  reflections. 

Those  who  had  advised  to  the  course  to  be  pursued,  liad 
agreed  to  lay  the  subject  before  the  highest  authorities.  They 
soon  came  to  the  conviction  that  it  would  be  in  vain  to  look  fur 
**^  any  favour  from  the  Governor,  and  resolved  to  lay  it  before  the 

Attorney  General  as  soon  as  he  should  return  from  Quebec. 
After  waiting  for  some  time,  he  returned ;  and  I  was  informed, 
in  a  few  days,  that  he  had  appointed  an  interview  on  the  follow- 
ing morning.  I  went  at  the  time  with  a  gentleman  of  the  city, 
to  the  house  of  Mr.  Grant,  a  distinguished  lawyer.  In  a  short 
time  a  servant  invited  us  to  walk  up  stairs,  and  we  went ;  but 
after  I  had  entered  a  small  room  at  the  end  of  the  parlour,  the 
door  was  shut  behind  me  by  Mr  Ogden,  the  Attorney  General. 
A  chair  was  given  me,  which  was  placed  with  the  back  towards 
a  bookcase,  at  which  a  man  was  standing,  apparently  looking  at 
the  books ;  and  besides  the  two  persons  I  have  mentioned,  there 
was  but  one  more  in  the  room,*  Mr.  Grant,  the  master  of  the 
house.  Of  the  first  part  of  the  interview  I  shall  not  particularly 
speak. 

The  two  legal  gentlemen  at  length  began  a  mock  examination 
of  me,  in  which  they  seemed  to  me  to  be  actuated  more  by  a 
curiosity  no  way  commendable,  than  a  sincere  desire  to  discover 
the  truth,  writing  down  a  few  of  my  answers.  In  this,  however, 
the  person  behind  me  took  no  active  part.  One  of  the  questions 
put  to  me  was,  "What  are  the  colours  of  the  carpet  in  the 
Superior's  room  ?" 

j^  *  Unleaa  another  WM  concealed— as  I  loipected. 


PrRSEOUTION  S. 


185 


I  me— liloro 
ivlnced  that 
n  Montreal 

jued,  l>ail 
es.    They 
o  look  for 
before  the 
n  Quebec, 
informed, 
the  foUow- 
f  the  city, 
In  a  short 
•went;  but 
)arlour,  the 
.y  General, 
[ck  towards 

looking  at 
|oned,  there 
ister  of  the 

larticularly 

Examination 
more  by  ft 
to  discover 

(g,  however, 
18  questions 

[rpet  in  the 


I  told  what  they  were,  when  they  tnrned  -o  him,  and  in- 
qnired  whether  I  had  told  the  truth.  He  answered  only  by  a 
short  grunt  of  assent,  as  if  afraid  to  speak,  or  even  to  utter  a 
natural  tone;  and  at  the  same  time,  by  liis  Iiastiness,  sliowed 
that  he  was  displeased  that  my  answer  was  correct.  I  was 
asked  to  describe  a  particular  man  I  had  seen  in  the  nunnery, 
and  did  so.  My  examiner  partly  tnrned  round  with  some  remark 
or  question  which  was  answered  in  a  similar  spirit.  I  turned 
and  looked  at  the  stranger,  who  was  evidently  skulking  to  avoid 
my  seeing  him,  and  yet  listening  to  every  word  that  was  said. 
I  saw  enongh  in  his  appearance  to  become  pretty  well  satisfied 
that  I  had  seen  him  before ;  and  something  in  his  form  or  atti- 
tude reminded  me  strongly  of  the  person  whose  name  had  been 
mentioned.  I  was  then  requested  to  repeat  some  of  the  prayers 
used  in  the  nunnery,  and  repeated  part  of  the  office  of  the 
Virgin,  and  some  others. 

At  length,  after  I  had  been  in  the  little  room,  as  I  should 
judge,  nearly  an  hour,  I  was  informed  that  the  examination  had 
been  satisfactory,  and  that  I  might  go. 

I  then  returned  home ;  but  no  further  step  was  taken  by  the 
Attorney  General,  and  he  refused,  as  I  understood,  to  return  my 
affidavit,  which  had  been  left  in  his  hands  to  act  upon. 

Besides  the  persons  I  have  mentioned,  I  had  interviews  with 
numbers  of  others.  I  learnt  from  some,  that  Father  Fhelan 
addressed  his  congregation  a  second  time  concerning  me,  and 
expressly  forbade  them  to  speak  to  me  if  they  should  have  an 
opportunity,  on  pain  of  excommunication.  It  was  also  said, 
that  he  prayed  for  the  family  I  lived  with,  that  they  might  be 
converted.  ' 

I  repeated  to  several  different  persons  my  willingness  to  go 
into  the  nunnery,  and  point  out  visible  evidences  of  the  truth  of 
my  statements ;  and  when  I  was  told  by  one  man,  who  said  he 
had  been  to  the  priests,  that  I  had  better  leave  the  city,  or  I 
would  be  clapped  into  prison,  I  made  up  my  mind  that  I  should 
like  to  be  imprisoned  a  little  while,  because  then,  I  thought  I 
could  not  be  refused  a  public  examination. 

Some  Oanadians  were  present  one  day,  when  the  mistress  of 
the  house  repeated,  in  my  presence,  that  I  was  ready  to  go  into 


k  j 


J 


.^*' 


18G 


AWFUL     DISCLOSURES. 


tlie  nunnery  if  protected,  and,  if  I  did  not  convince  others  of  the 
trutit  of  my  ftssertions,  that  I  would  consent  to  be  burned. 

"  O  yes,  I  dare  say,"  replied  one  of  the  men — "  the  devil 
would  take  her  oft*— she  knows  he  would.  He  would  take  car© 
of  lier — we  whould  never  be  able  to  get  her — the  evil  spirit  1" 

A  woman  present  tsaid — "  I  ouuld  light  the  fire  to  burn  you, 
myself." 

A  woman  of  Montreal,  who  has  a  niece  in  the  nunnery,  on 
hearing  of  what  I  declared  about  it,  said  that  if  it  was  true  she 
would  help  tear  it  down. 

Among  those  who  came  to  see  me,  nnmbers  were  at  first  na 
violent  as  any  I  have  mentioned,  but  after  a  little  conversation, 
became  mild  and  calm.  I  have  heard  persons  declare,  that  it 
would  be  no  harm  to  kill  me,  as  I  had  an  evil  spirit. 

One  woman  told  me,  that  she  had  seen  Father  Phelan  in  the 
street,  talking  with  a  man,  to  whom  he  said,  that  the  people 
were  coming  to  tear  down  thehouse  in  which  I  stayed,  intending 
afterward  to  set  fire  to  it  in  the  cellar.  This  story  gave  me  no 
serious  alarm,  for  I  thought  I  could  see  through  it  evidence  of 
an  intention  to  frighten  me,  and  make  me  leave  the  city.* 

I  was  under  great  apprehensions,  however,  one  day,  in  con- 
sequence of  an  accidental  discovery  of  a  plan  laid  to  take  me 
off  by  force.  I  had  stepped  into  the  cellar  to  get  an  iron-holder, 
when  I  beard  the  voices  of  persons  in  the  street  above,  and 
recognised  those  of  my  mother  and  the  Irish  woman  her  friend. 
There  was  another  woman  with  them. 

"  You  go  in  and  lay  hold  of  her,"  said  one  voice. 

"  No,  you  are  her  mother — you  go  in  and  bring  her  out — wo 
will  help  you." 

I  was  almost  overcome  with  dread  of  falling  into  their  hands, 
believing  that  they  would  deliver  me  up  to  the  Superior. 
Hastening  into  a  room,  I  got  behind  a  bed,  told  the  lady  of  the 
house  the  cause  of  my  fear,  and  calliug  to  a  little  girl  to  bring 


*  I  felt  very  confident,  from  some  oiroumstsnees,  that  this  woman  had  been  sent 
to  bring  such  a  story  by  Father  Pheian;  and  such  evidence  of  his  timidity  rather 
emboldened  me.  I  was  in  another  room  when  she  came,  and  heard  her  talking  on 
and  abusing  me ;  then  coming  out,  I  said, "  How  dare  you  say  I  do  not  speak 
the  truth?"  "  God  bless  you,"  said  she, "  sit  down  and  tell  me  all.*' 


PERSECUTIONS. 


187 


8  of  the 
d. 

10  devil 
ike  caro 
rit !" 
irii  you, 

nery,  on 
true  she 

t  first  ns 
rersation, 
e,  that  it 

an  in  the 
he  people 
intending 
ive  me  no 
ridence  of 

ty.* 

ly,  in  con- 
o  take  me 
•on-holder, 
ibove,  and 
her  friend. 


>r  cut — we 

leir  hands, 

Superior. 

|lady  of  the 

rl  to  bring 

I  had  been  sent 
kmldlty  rather 
|her  talking  on 
do  not  speak 


me  my  chiUI,  I  stood  m  a  state  of  violent  agitation.  Expecting 
then)  in  the  Imuso  evtM'y  instant,  and  fearing  my  infant  niiglit 
cry,  nnd  so  lead  them  to  the  phiuu  of  my  conceahuent,  I  put  n)y 
liund  upon  itH  mouth  to  Iceep  it  quiet. 

It  Nvus  thought  desirahle  to  get  tlie  testimony  of  the  mistrci^s 
of  the  house  wliere  I  spent  the  niglit  after  my  escape  from  the 
nunnery,  as  one  means  of  substantiating  my  story.  I  Iiad  been 
there  the  day  before  my  visit  to  tlie  house  of  Mr.  Grant,  accom- 
panied by  a  friend,  and  on  my  first  inquiring  of  her  about  my 
nunnery  dresg,  she  said  she  liad  carried  it  to  the  Superior; 
spealiing  with  haste,  as  it'  she  apprehended  I  had  some  object 
very  different  from  what  I  actually  liad.  It  now  being  thouglit 
best  to  summon  her  as  a  witness  before  a  magistrate,  and  not 
knowing  her  whole  name,  we  set  off  again  towards  her  house  to 
make  inquiry. 

On  our  way  we  had  to  pass  behind  the  parade.  I  suddenly 
heard  an  outcry  from  a  little  gallery  in  the  rear  of  a  house  which 
fronts  anotlier  way,  which  drew  my  attention.  ^^  There's  the 
nun  !V  exclaimed  a  female,  after  twice  clapping  her  hands  smart- 
ly  together,  "  There's  the  nun,  there's  the  nun !" 

I  looked  up,  and  whom  sliould  I  see  but  the  Irishwoman^  who 
had  taken  so  active  a  part,  on  several  occasions  in  my  affairs,  on 
account  of  her  friendship  for  my  mother — the  same  who  liad  ac- 
companied me  to  Longeuil  in  a  boat,  when  I  set  out  for  New- 
York,  after  making  arrangements  for  my  journey.  She  now  be- 
haved OS  if  exasperated  against  me  to  the  utmost ;  having,  as  I 
liad  no  doubt,  learnt  the  object  of  jny  journey  to  Montreal  since 
I  had  last  spoken  with  her,  and  having  all  her  Catholic  prejudi- 
ces excited.  She  screamed  out :  *^  There's  the  nun  that's  come 
to  swear  against  our  dear  Father  Phelan.  Arrah,  lay  hold,  lay 
hold  upon  her!  Catch  her,  kill  her,  pull  her  to  pieces." 

And  so  Faying  she  hurried  down  to  the  street,  while  a  number 
of  women,  children,  and  some  men,  came  running  out,  and  pur. 
sued  after  me.  I  immediately  took  to  flight,  for  I  did  not  know 
what  they  might  do ;  and  she,  with  the  rest,"pur8tied  us,  until 
we  reached  two  soldiers,  whom  we  called  upon  to  protect  us. 
They  showed  a  readiness  to  do  so ;  and  when  they  learnt  that 


I 


n 


iilnfhl 


188 


AWFUL    DISGLOSUBES 


we  were  merely  going  to  a  house  beyond,  and  intended  to  return 
peaceably,  consented  to  accompany  us.  The  crowd,  which  might 
rather  be  called  a  mob,  thought  proper  not  to  offer  us  any  vio- 
lence in  the  presence  of  the  soldiers,  and  after  following  us  a  little 
distance,  began  to  drop  off,  until  all  hud  disappeared.  One  of 
the  soldiers,  however,  soon  after  remarked,  that  he  observed  a 
man  following  us,  whom  he  had  seen  in  the  crowd,  and  proposed 
that  instead  of  both  of  them  going  before  us,  one  should  walk  be- 
hind, to  guard  against  any  design  he  might  have.  This  was 
done ;  and  we  proceeded  to  a  house  near  the  one  where  I  had 
foynd  a  refuge,  and  after  obtaining  the  information  we  sought, 
returned,  still  guarded  by  the  soldiers. 

All  our  labour  in  this,  however,  proved  unavailing ;  for  we 
were  unable  to  get  the  woman  to  appear  in  court. 

At  length  it  was  found  impossible  to  induce  the  magistrates  to 
do  any  thing  in  the  case ;  and  arrangements  were  made  for  my 
return  to  New  York.  While  in  the  ferry-boat,  crossing  from 
Montreal  to  Laprairie,  I  happened  to  be  standing  near  two  little 
girls,  when  I  overheard,  the  following  conversation. 

"  Why  do  you  leave  Montreal  so  soon  ?" 

"  I  had  gone  to  spend  a  week  or  two  ;  but  I  heard  that  Anti- 
christ was  in  the  city,  and  was  afraid  to  be  there.  So  I  am  going 
right  home.  I  would  not  be  in  Montreal  while  Antichrist  is 
there.    He  has  come  to  destroy  the  Oatholic  religion.** 

I  felt  quite  happy  when  I  found  myself  once  more  safe  in  New- 
York  ;  and  it  has  only  been  since  my  return  from  Montreal,  and 
the  conviction  I  had  there  formed,  that  it  was  in  vain  for  me  to 
attempt  to  get  a  fair  investigation  into  the  Hotel  Dieu  Nunnery, 
that  I  seriously  thought  of  publishing  a  book.  Under  some  dis- 
advantages this  volume  has  been  prepared,  and  unfortunately  its 
publication  has  been  delayed  to  a  season  when  it  will  be  difScult 
to  transmit  it  promptly  to  all  parts  of  the  country.  I  am  sure, 
however,  that  in  spite  of  all,  no  material  errors  will  be  found  in 
it  uncorrected,  though  many,  very  many,  facts  and  circumstances 
might  have  been  added  which  WQuld  have  proved  interesting. 
Indeed  I  am  persuaded,  from  the  experience  I  have  already  had, 
that  past  scenes,  before  forgotten,  will  continue  to  retnm  to  my 


PERSECUTIONS. 


189 


to  return 
icli  might 
any  vio- 
U8  a  little 
One  of 
bserved  a 
1  proposed 
1  walk  be- 
Tbis  was 
lere  I  bad 
nre  sought, 

ig;  for  we 

igictrates  to 
lade  for  my 
ossing  from 
ar  two  little 


memory,  the  longer  I  dwell  upon  my  convent  life,  and  that  many 
of  these  will  tend  to  confirm,  explain,  or  illustrate  some  of  the 
statements  now  before  the  public. 

Bat  before  I  close  this  volume,  I  must  be  indulged  in  saying  a 
word  of  myself.  The  narrative  through  which  the  reader  has 
now  passed,  he  must  not  close  and  lay  aside  as  if  it  were  a  fiction ; 
neither  would  I  wish  him  to  forget  the  subject  of  it  as  one  wor- 
thy only  to  excite  surprise  and  wonder  for  a  moment. 


N:-'':;1 


F  :^-i: 


:m\ 


Ikl^pl 


i-h'- 


I  that  Anti- 
0 1  am  going 
iLntichrist  is 

tt." 

safe  in  New- 
[ontreal,  and 
tin  for  me  to 
leu  Nunnery, 
ler  some  dis- 
»rtunately  its 
111  be  difficult 
I  am  sure, 

be  found  in 
arcumstances 

.  interesting. 

already  had, 

:etnm  to  my 


m 


...   i  I 


ivi. 


m 


190 


AWFUL    DISCLOSURES. 


CONCLUSION. 

It  is  desired  that  the  author  of  this  volume  may  be  regarded, 
not  as  a  voluntary  participator  in  the  very  guilty  transactions 
which  are  described  ;  but  receive  sympathy  fo»  the  trials  which 
she  has  endured,  and  the  peculiar  situation  in  which  her  past 
experience,  and  escape  from  the  power  of  the  Superior  of  the 
Hotel  Dieu  Nunnery,  at  Montreal,  and  the  snares  of  the  Boman 
priests  in  Canada,  have  left  her. 

My  feelings  are  frequently  distressed,  and  agitated,  by  the 
recollection  of  what  I  have  passed  through ;  and  by  night,  and 
by  day,  I  have  little  peace  of  mind,  and  few  periods  of  calm 
and  pleasant  reflection.  Futurity  also  appears  uncertain.  I 
know  not  what  reception  this  little  work  may  meet  with ;  and 
what  will  be  the  effect  of  its  publication  here,  or  in  Canada, 
among  strangers,  friends,  or  enemies.  I  have  given  the  world 
the  truth,  so  far  as  I  have  gone,  on  subjects  of  which  I  am  told 
they  are  generally  ignorant ;  and  I  feel  perfect  confidence,  that 
any  facts  which  may  yet  be  discovered,  will  confirm  my  words, 
whenever  they  can  be  obtained.  Whoever  shall  explore  the 
Hotel  Dieu  Nunnery,  at  Montreal,  will  find  unquestionable  evi- 
dence that  the  descriptions  of  the  interior  of  that  edifice,  given 
in  this  book,  were  furnished  by  one  familiar  with  them ;  for 
whatever  alterations  may  be  attempted,  there  are  changes  which 
no  mason  or  carpenter  can  make  and  effectually  conceal ;  and 
therefore,  there  mu>t  be  plentiful  evidence  in  that  institution  of 
the  truth  of  my  description. 

There  are  living  witnesses,  also,  who  ought  to  be  made  to 
speak,  without  fear  of  penances,  tortures,  and  death  ;  and  pos- 
sibly their  te^mony,  at  some  future  time,  may  be  added  to  con- 


C  ONCLUSION. 


191 


jgarded, 
isactions 
lis  -which 
her  past 
)r  of  the 
e  Boman 

I,  by  the 
light,  and 
Is  of  calm 
rtwn.     I 
vith;  and 
Canada, 
he  world 
am  told 
ence,  that 
ny  words, 
plore  the 
naWe  evi- 
fice,  given 
them;  for 
iges  which 
oeal;  and 
titution  of 

e  made  to 
and  poa- 
led  to  con- 


firm my  statements.  There  are  witnesses  I  should  greatly 
rejoice  to  see  at  liberty ;  or  rather  there  were.  Are  they  living 
now  ?  or  will  they  be  permitted  to  live  after  the  Priests  and 
Superior  have  seen  this  book  ?  Perhaps  the  wretched  nuns  in 
the  cells  have  already  suffered  for  my  sake — perhaps  Jane  Kay 
Las  been  silenced  for  ever,  or  will  be  murdered,  before  she  has 
an  opportunity  to  add  her  most  important  testimony  to  mine. 

But  speedy  death,  in  respect  only  to  this  world,  can  be  no 
great  calamity  to  those  who  lead  the  life  of  a  nun.  Tlie  mere 
recollection  of  it  always  makes  me  miserable.  It  would  distress 
the  reader,  should  I  repeat  the  dreams  with  which  I  am  often 
terrified  at  night ;  for  I  sometimes  fancy  myself  pursued  by  my 
worst  enemies ;  frequently  I  seem  as  if  shut  up  again  in  the 
Convent ;  often  I  imagine  myself  present  at  the  repetition  of 
the  worst  scenes  that  I  have  hinted  at  or  described.  Sometimes 
I  stand  by  the  secret  place  of  interment  in  the  cellar ;  sometimes 
I  think  I  can  hear  the  shrieks  of  helpless  females  in  the  hands 
of  atrocious  men ;  and  sometimes  almost  seem  actually  to  look 
again  upon  the  calm  and  placid  countenance  of  Saint  Francis,  as 
she  appeared  when  surrounded  by  her  murderers. 

I  cannot  banish  the  scenes  and  characters  of  this  book  from 
my  memory.  To  me  it  can  never  appear  like  an  amusing  fable, 
or  lose  its  interest  and  importance.  The  story  is  one  which  is 
continually  before  me,  and  must  return  fresh  to  my  mind,  with 
painfnl  emotions,  as  long  as  I  live.  With  time,  and  Cliristian 
instruction,  and  the  sympathy  and  example  of  the  wi«e  and  good, 
I  hope  to  learn  submissively  to  bear  whatever  trials  are  appointed 
for  me,  and  to  improve  under  them  all. 

Impressed  as  I  continually  am  with  the  frightful  reality  of  the 
painful  oommunioations  that  I  have  made  in  this  volume,  I  can 
only  offer  to  all  persons  who  may  doubt  or  disbelieve  my  state- 
mentH,  these  two  things : — 

Permit  me  to  go  through  the  Hotel  Dieu  Kunnery,  at  Mon- 
treal, with  some  impartial  ladies  and  gentlemen,  that  they  may 
compare  my  account  with  the  interior  parts  of  that  building, 

into  which  no  persons  but  the  Eoman  Bishop  and  the  priests,* 

» 

*  I  ihoald  have  added,  and  tttchper$on»  at  they  iiOroduee. 


:'v,'*:. 


t  ii 


192 


AWFUL    DISCLOSURES. 


are  ever  admitted ;  and  if  they  do  not  find  my  description  tme, 

then  discard  me  as  an  impostor.    Bring  me  before  a  court  of 

justice — there  I  am  willing  to  meet  Lartigue^  Dufreme^  Phelan^ 
JBonin^  and  RiehardSy  and  their  wicked  companions,  with  the 

Saperior,  and  any  of  the  nuns,  before  ten  thousand*  men. 


Mabia  Monk. 


Neva-  Torkt  11th  January,  1886. 


mm  ' 


THE  TRUTH 


OF  THB 


^■. 


"  AWFUL  DISCLOSURES  BY  MARLA.  MONK  " 

DEMONSTRATED. 

1.  Early  means  used  to  discredit  the  hooJc.  Different  elasse$ 
of  objectors. — It  was  anticipated  that  persons  who  know  little  or 
nothing  of  the  changeless  spirit  and  uniform  practices  of  the 
Papal  ecclesiastics,  would  doubt  or  deny  the  statements  which 
Maria  Monk  has  given  of  the  Hotel  Dieu  Nunnery  at  Montreal. 
The  delineations,  if  true,  are  so  loathsome  and  revolting,  that 
they  exhibit  the  principles  of  the  Roman  priesthood,  and  the 
corruption  of  the  monastic  system,  as  combining  a  social  curse, 
which  must  be  extinguished  for  the  welfare  of  mankind. 

From  the  period  when  the  intimations  were  first  published  in 
the  Protestant  Vindicator,  that  a  Nun  had  escaped  from  one  of 
the  Convents  in  Canada,  and  that  a  narrative  of  the  secrets  of 
that  prison-house  for  females  was  preparing  for  the  press ;  at- 
tempts have  occasionally  been  made  to  prejudice  the  publio 
judgment,  by  fulsome  eulogies  of  the  Roman  Priests  and  Nuns, 
as  paragons  of  Immaculate  perfection ;  and  also  by  infuriated 
denunciations  and  calumnies  of  ^  all  persons,  who  seriously  be- 
lieve that  every  human  institution  which  directly  violates  the 
constitution  of  nature,  and  the  express  commands  of  God,  must 
necessarily  be  immoral. 

The  system  of  seclusion  and  celibacy  adopted  in  Convents  is 
altogether  unnatural,  and  subverts  all  the  appointments  of  Je- 
hovah in  reference  to  the  duties  and  usefulness  of  man ;  while 
the  impenetrable  secrecy,  which  is  the  oement  of  the  gloomy 
sapentraotore,  not  only  extirpates  every  incentive  to  active  vir- 


ml 


1,  ■•    ! 


#         • 


Hi 


I;,     I 


m '. 


*'-\ 


194 


REVIEW     OF    TUE     WHOLE     SUBJECT. 


tne,  but  nnavoiJably  opens  the  flood-gates  of  wickedness,  with- 
out restraint  or  reint»rse,  bfc  ipse  it  secures  entire  impunity. 

Since  the  publication  of  tlie  "Awful  Disclosures,"  much  so- 
licitude lias  been  felt  for  the  result  of  the  exiiibitions  whicli  they 
present  us:  but  it  is  most  remarkable,  that  the  incredulity  is 
confined  almost  exclusively  to  Protestants,  or  at  least,  to  those 
who  pretend  not  to  be  Papists.  The  Roman  Priests  are  too 
crafty  to  engage  directly  in  any  controversy  respecting  the  credi- 
bility of  Maria  Monk's  jprrative.  As  long  as  they  can  induce 
the  Koman  Catholics  privately  to  deny  the  statements,  and  to 
vilify  Christians  as  the  inventors  of  falsehoods  concerning  "  the 
Holy  Clmrch  anc^he  Holy  Priests!"  so  long  will  they  laugh  at 
the  censures  of  the  Protestants ;  and  as  long  as  they  can  in- 
fluence the  Editors  of  political  papers  vociferously  to  deny 
evangelical  truth,  and  to  decry  every  attempt  to  discover  the 
secrets  of  the  Romish  priestcraft  as  false  and  uncharitable,  so 
long  will  the  Jesuits  ridicule  and  despise  that  incredulity  which 
is  at  once  so  blinding,  deceitful,  and  dangerous. 

The  volume  entitled  "  Awful  Disclosures  by  Maria  Monk," 
has  been  assailed  by  two  classes  of  Objectors.  Some  persons 
affirm  that  they  cannot,  and  that  they  will  not  believe  her  nar- 
rative, because  it  is  so  improbable.  "Who  is  to  judge  of  the 
standard  of  improbabilities  ?  Assuredly  not  they  who  are  ig- 
norant of  the  whole  subject  to  which  those  improbabilities  ad- 
vert. Now  it  is  certain,  that  persons  who  are  acquainted  with 
Poperv,  are  generally  convinced,  and  readily  agree,  that  Maria 
Monk's  narrative  is  very  much  assimilated  to  the  abstract  view 
which  a  sound  judgment,  enlightened  by  the  Holy  Scriptures, 
would  form  of  that  antichristian  system,  as  predicted  by  the 
prophet  Daniel,  and  the  apostles,  Peter,  Paul,  and  John. 

2.  The  question  of  Probability. — But  the  question  of  pro- 
babilities may  be  tested  by  another  fact ;  and  that  is  the  full,  un- 
shaken conviction,  and  the  serious  declaration  of  many  persons 
who  have  lived  in  Canada,  that  Maria  Monk's  allegations 
against  the  Roman  Priests  and  Nuns  in  that  province,  are  pre- 
cisely the  counterpart  of  their  ordinary  character,  spirit,  and 
practice.  There  are  many  persons  now  residing  in  the  city  of 
New  York,  who  long  dwelt  in  Montreal  and  Quebec ;  and  who 


with- 

ch  so- 
li they 
iVay  13 
>  Uiose 
are  too 
B  credi- 

induce 

and  to 
ig  "the 
laugli  at 

can  in- 
to deny 
3ver  the 
table,  so 
,y  whicli 

Monk," 
)  persons 
.  her  nar- 
;e  of  the 
10  are  ig- 
ilities  ad- 
ited  with 
lat  Maria 

vact  view 
^criptures, 
ed  by  the 

n  of  pro-  , 
iefull,un- 
ny  persons 
allegations 
le,  are  pre- 
spjrit,  and 
the  city  of 
and  who 


REVIEW  OF  THE  WHOLE  SUBJECT. 


195 


are  thoroughly  acquainted  witli  the  situation  of  affairs  among 
the  Canadian  Papists — and  such  of  them  as  are  known,  with 
scarcely  a  dissenting  voice,  proclaim  the  same  facts  which 
every  traveller,  who  has  any  discernment  or  curiosity,  learns 
when  he  makes  the  northern  summer  tour.  It  is  also  indubi- 
table, that  intelligent  persons  in  Canada  generally,  especially 
residents  in  Montreal  and  Quebec,  who  have  no  inducement 
either  to  falsify  or  to  conceal  the  truth,  uniformly  testify,  that 
the  nunneries  in  those  cities  are  notoriolB  places  of  resort  for 
the  Roman  Priests  for  habitual  and  unrestrained  licentiousness ; 
that,  upon  the  payment  of  the  stipulated  price  to  the  Chaplain, 
other  persons,  in  the  disguise  of  Priests,  are  re^arly  admitted 
within  the  Convents  for  the  same  infamous  purpose ;  and  that 
many  Infants  and  Nuns,  in  proportion  to  the  aggregate  amount 
of  the  whole  body  of  females,  are  annually  murdered  and  buried 
within  their  precincts.  All  this  turpitude  is  as  assuredly  believ- 
ed by  the  vast  majority  of  the  enlightened  Protestants,  as  well  as 
by  multitudes  of  even  the  Papists  in  Montreal  and  Quebec,  as 
their  own  existence ;  and  judging  from  their  declarations,  they 
have  no  more  doubt  of  the  fact,  than  they  have  of  the  summer's 
sunshine,  and  the  winter's  frost  and  snow.  Of  what  value, 
therefore,  is  the  cavil  of  ignorance  respecting  improbabilities  ? 

But  it  is  also  objected,  that  the  British  government  would  not 
tolerate  such  a  system  of  enormous  wickedness.  To  which  it  is 
replied,  that  the  inordinate  licentiousness  of  the  Bomau  Priests 
and  Nuns  in  Canada,  is  demonstrated  to  be  of  long  standing  by 
the  archives  of  that  Province,  as  may  be  seen  in  Smith's  History 
of  Canada;  year  1733,  Chapter  5,  p.  194. 

The  author  of  that  work  is  Secretary  of  the  Province ;  and 
his  narrative  was  compiled  immediately  from  the  public  docu- 
ments, which  are  under  his  official  guardianship  and  control. 
He  thus  writes : — "  The  irregularities  and  improper  conduct  of 
the  Nuns  of  the  General  Hospital  had  been  the  subject  of  much 
regret  and  anxiety.  .Contrary  to  every  principle  of  their  insti- 
tution, they  frequently  accepted  of  invitations  to  dinners  and 
suppers,  and  mixed  in  society,  without  considering  the  vows 
which  restricted  them  to  their  Convent.  The  king  of  France 
directed  a  letter,  Maurepas'  letter  of  April  9,  1733,  to  be  writtefi 


J 


ili 


i!!; 


If 


Ik 

ill 


lii 


m] 


■?ii;^ 


>  1. 


m 


196 


REVIEW  OF  THE  WHOLE  SUBJECT 


to  the  Coadjutor  of  Quebec,  by  the  minister  having  the  depart- 
ment of  the  Marine ;  importing  that  the  king  was  much  dis- 
pleased with  tlie  Nuns — tiiat  regularity  and  order  might  be  re- 
Btored  by  reducing  the  nuns  to  tiie  number  of  twelve,  according 
to  their  original  establishment — and  that,  as  the  management 
and  superintendence  of  tlie  community  had  been  granted  to  the 
Governor,  Prelate,  and  Intendant,  the  Coadjutor  should  take 
the  necessary  measures  to  prevent  them  from  repeating  conduct 
so  indecent  and  improper." 

The  entire  affair  seems  to  have  been  this;  that  the  Nuns  of 
Quebec  at  that  period  preferred  the  gallant  military  officers,  and 
their  bewitching  festivities,  to  the  coarser  and  less  diversified 
indulgences  of  the  Jesuits;  upon  which  the  latter  murmured, 
and  resolved  to  hinder  the  soldiers  from  intruding  into  their  fold, 
and  among  the  cloistered  females,  to  visit  whom  they  clniined 
as  their  own  peculiar  privilege,  inseparably  attached  to  tlieir 
.  priestly  character  and  ecclesiastical  functions.  It  is  infallibly 
certain  that  after  a  lapse  of  100  years,  neither  the  Jesuits  nor 
the  Nuns  in  Canada,  are  in  the  smallest  particle  reformed. 

The  British  government,  by  the  treaty  made  upon  the  surren- 
der of  that  province  to  them,  guarantied  to  the  Papal  Ecclesi- 
astics, both  male  and  female,  their  prior  exemptions  and  special 
immunities.  Many  of  the  officers  of  the  Government  in  Canada, 
who  have  long  resided  there,  are  anxious  to  see  the  nunneries 
and  their  adjuncts  totally  extirpated ;  and  it  may  be  safely  assert- 
ed, that  they  know  the  character  given  of  those  institutions  by 
Maria  Monk  is  a  graphical  picture  of  their  continuous  doings. 

The  British  government,  for  the  purpose  of  retaining  their 
supremacy  over  the  province,  have  not  only  connived  at  those 
irregularities,  but  have  always  enjoined  that  the  public  sanction 
should  be  given  to  their  puerile  shows,  and  their  pageant,  pom- 
pous processions  by  the  attendance  of  the  civil  and  military 
officere  upon  them,  and  by  desecrating  the  Lord's  day  with 
martial  music,  &o.  In  this  particular  affair,  the  executive  offi- 
cers of  the  Provincial  Government  are  fully  apprised  of  all  the 
Bubstantiul  facts  in  the  case;  for  an  affidavit  of  the  principal 
circumstances  was  presented  to  Mr.  Ogden,  the  Attorney  Gene- 
ral of  Canada,  and  to  >,fr.  Grant,  another  of  the  King's  6oup«el- 


REVIEW     OF    THE 


WHOLE    SUBJECT."  19t 


lors :  and  afterward  Maria  Monk  did  undergo  an  examination  by 
ihcse  gentlemen,  in  the  liouse  of  Mr.  Grant,  at  Montreal,  in  the 
presence  of  Mr.  Oomte,  one  of  the  superior  order  of  priests  of 
that  city  ;  and  of  another  Priest,  believed  to  be  either  Phelan  or 
Dufresne,  who  was  concealed  behind  tiie  sofa. 

It  is  also  incontrovertible,  that  the  nominal  Papists  iu  Canada, 
who,  in  reality,  are  often  infidels,  notwithstanding  their  jococe 
sneers,  and  affected  contempt,  do  generally  believe  every  title  of 
Maria  Monk's  narrative.  This  is  the  style  in  which  they  talk  of 
it.  They  first,  accordji^ig  to  custom,  loudly ^coMa  the  authors ; 
for  to  find  a  Papist  infidel  who  does  not  br^lWlie  third  com- 
mandment, is  as  diflScult  as  to  point  out  a  moral  Roman  Priest  or 
a  chaste  Nun.  They  first  swear  at  the  author,  and  then,  with  a 
hearty  laugh,  add  the  following  illustration : — "  Everybody  knows 
that  the  Priests  are  a  jolly  set  of  fellows,  who  live  well,  and 
must  have  license,  or  they  would  be  contrary  to  nature.  They 
have  the  privilege  of  going  into  the  nunneries,  and  they  woiild 
be  great  fools  if  they  did  not  use  and  enjoy  it  1"  Such  is  the 
exact  language  which  is  adopted  among  the  Canadians;  and 
such  are  the  precise  words  which  have  been  used  by  Canadian 
gentlemen  in  New  York,  when  criticising  Maria  Monk's  volume. 
It  affords  stronger  proof  than  a  direct  attestation.  %<4^ 

The  other  class  of  persons  who  verily  believe  the  "^^ful 
Disclosures,"  are  the  religious  community  in  Canada.  "Wo  think 
that  scarcely  a  well-informed  person  can  be  discovered  in  Mon- 
treal or  Quebec,  who  does  not  feel  assured,  that  the  interior  of 
the  Hotel  Dieu  Nunnery  is  most  faithfully  depicted  by  Maria 
Monk.  Many  persons  are  now  inhabitants  of  New- York  who 
formerly  resided  in  Montreal,  some  of  whom  have  been  upon 
terras  of  familiar  intimacy  for  years  with  those  Roman  Priests, 
who  are  specified  as  the  principal  actors  in  the  scenes  depicted 
in  that  book;  and  they  most  solemnly  declare,  that  they  have 
no  doubt  of  the  truth  of  Maria  Monk's  narrative. 

Mr.  Samuel  B.  Smith,  who  has  been  not  only  a  Roman  Priest, 
but  has  had  several  cages  of  nuns  under  his  sole  management, 
questioned  Maria  Monk  expressly  respecting  those  affairs,  cus- 
toms and  ceremonies,  which  appertain  only  to  nunneries,  because 
they  cannot  be  practiced  by  any  other  females  but  those  who  are 


i  'I 


wm 


i 


1" .  ~ 


ti 


?: 


! 


:i  f-*'' 


i  M 


m 


1. 
198  REVIEW     OP    THE     WHOLE    SUBJECT. 


\ 


shut  up  in  tlio<)o  dungeons;  and,  after  having  minutely  examined 
her,  he  plainly  averred  that  it  was  manifest  she  could  not  huve 
known  tlio  things  wliich  she  communicated  to  him  unless  t<Iie 
had  hoen  a  nun ;  not  merely  a  scholar,  or  a  temporary  resident, 
or  even  a  novice,  hut  a  nun,  wlio  liad  taken  the  veil,  in  the 
strictest  sense  of  the  appellative.  This  testimony  is  of  the  more 
value,  becautie  the  conclusion  does  not  depend  upon  any  con- 
flicting statements,  of  partial  or  prejudicial  witnesses,  but  upon 
a  fact  which  is  essential  to  the  system  of  monachism ;  that  no 
persons  can  know  all  the  secrets  of  nunneries,  but  the  Chaplain, 
the  Abbess,  an<^ie'!r  accomplices  in  that  "  mystery  of  iniquity." 
Mr.  Smith's  declaration  in  one  other  respect  is  absolutely  decisive. 
He  has  declared  not  only  that  Maria  Monk  has  been  a  nun,  but 
also  that  the  descriptions  which  she  gives  are  most  minutely 
accurate. 

Mr.  Smith  also  testifies  that  the  account  which  Maria  Monk 
gives  of  the  proceedings  of  the  priests,  the  obscene  questions 
which  they  ask  young  females',  and  their  lewd  practices  with 
them  at  auricular  confession,  are  constantly  exemplitied  by  the 
Bomafi  Priests;  and  he  also  confirms  her  statements,  by  the 
testimony  of  his  own  individual  experience,  and  actual  personal 
acquaintance  with  the  Canadian  nunneries,  as  well  as  with  those 
in  tile  United  States,  and  especially  of  that  at  Monroe,  Michigan, 
which  was  dissolved  by  Mr.  Fenwick,  on  account  of  scandalous 
impurity,  several  years  ago. 

Mrs.  *  *  *,  a  widow  lady  now  in  New- York,  who  formerly 
was  a  Papist  in  Montreal,  and  was  recently  converted  to  Christi- 
anity, solemnly  avers,  that  the  Priest  Richards  himself,  con- 
ducted her  from  the  Seminary  through  the  subterraneous  passage 
to  the  nunnery,  and  describes  the  whole  exactly  in  accordance 
with  the  statement  of  Maria  Monk. 

Mr.  Lloydy  who  was  in  business  a  number  of  years  adjacent 
to  the  nunnery,  and  who  is  intimately  acquainted  witli  those 
priests,  their  characters,  principles,  and  habits,  avows  his 
unqualified  conviction  of  ^e  truth  of  the  "  Awful  Disclosures." 

Mr.  JEogan,  who  was  eighteen  months  in  the  Jesuit  Seminary 
at  Montreal,  and  in  constant  intercourse  and  attendance  upon 
Lartigue  and  his  accomplices,  unequivocally  affirms,  that  Jliaria 


REVIEW     OF    THE     WHOLE     SUBJECT. 


199 


Monk's  complex  description  of  those  Priests  are  most  minutely 
and  accurfttely  true. 

One  linndred  other  persons  probably  cnn  bo  adduced,  who, 
during  their  resilience  in  Canada,  or  on  their  tours  to  that 
province,  by  inquiries  ascertained  that  things  in  acoonlanco 
>viih  Maria  Monlv^s  delineations  are  the  undoubted  belief  of  eacli 
class  of  persons,  and  of  every  variety  of  condition,  and  in  all 
places  which  they  visited  in  Lower  Canada. 

Mr.  (t feenjield^  the  fatiier  of  the  gentleman  who  owns  tho 
two  steamboats  on  tho  river  St.  Lawrence,  called  the  Lady  of 
the  Lake,  and  the  Canadian  Eagle,  who  is  a  citizen  of  New- 
York,  ftvows  his  unqualified  assent  to  all  Maria  Monk's  state- 
ments, and  most  emphatically  adds — '•^  Maria  Monk  has  not  dis- 
closed one  tenth  part  of  the  truth  respecting  the  Roman  Priest* 
and  Kuns  in  Canada. 

Fifty  other  persons  from  that  province,  now  residing  in  New- 
York,  likewise  attest  the  truth  of  the  "  Disclosures." 

At  Sorel,  Berthier,  and  Three  Rivers,  the  usual  stopping-places 
for  the  steamboats  on  the  River  St.  Lawrence,  the  Priests,  if 
they  have  any  cause  to  be  at  the  wharf,  may  be  see^accom- 
imnied  by  one  oi"  more  children,  their  "  Nephews^^''  as  the  Priests 
facetiously  ([^nounnaiQ  their  offspring;  and  if  any  person  on  tho 
steamboat  should  be  heard  expatiating  upon  the  piety,  the  tem- 
perance, the  honesty,  or  the  purity  of  Roman  Priests  and  Nuns, 
he  would  be  laughed  at  outright,  either  as  a  natural  or  an  ironi- 
cal jester;  while  the  priest  himself  would  join  in  the  merriment, 
as  being  a  "  capital  joke." 

"We  are  assured  by  the  most  indisputable  authority  in  Mont- 
real, that  the  strictly  religious  people  in  that  city  do  generally 
credit  Maria  Monk's  statements  without  hesitation ;  and  the 
decisive  impression  of  her  veracity  can  never  be  removed.  If  it 
were  possible  at  once  to  reform  the  nunneries,  and  to  transform 
them  from  castles  of  ignorance,  uncleanness,  and  murder,  where 
all  their  arts  are  concealed  in  impervious  secrecy,  into  abodes  of 
wisdom,  chastity,  and  benevolence,  to  every  recess  of  which  all 
persons,  at  every  hour,  might  have, unrestricted  admission — that 
would  not  change  the  past;  it  would  leave  them  indelibly 
branded  with  the  emphatical  title  applied  to  the  nunnery  at 
Charlestown,  "  Filthy,  murderous  dkns." 


W- 


m  I  '. 


i 


•,ii 


vm 


.♦ 


200 


REVIEW     OF    THE     WHOLE     SUBJECT. 


8.   Who  are  those  who  deny  the  truth  of  the  loohf    Caeeoj 
Father  Conroy.    Father  Conrmfe  deception. 

In  addition  to  the  objections  from  improbability,  another  series 
of  opposition  consists  of  flat,  broad  denials  of  the  truth  of  Maria 
Monk's  "Awful  Disclosures."  Tliis  mode  of  vanquishing  direct 
charges  is  oven  more  invalid  than  the  former  futile  cavilling.  It 
is  hIso  remarkable,  wlien  we  remember  who  are  the  persons  that 
deny  the  statements  made  by  Maria  Monk.  Are  they  the  Roman 
Priests  implicated  ?  Not  at  all.  They  are  too  crafty.  Tlie  only 
persons  who  attempt  to  hint  even  a  suspicion  of  the  truth  of 
the  secrets  divulged  in  the  "Awful  Disclosures,"  are  editors  of 
Newspapers:  some  of  whom  are  over  found  on  the  side  of 
infidelity  and  vice;  men  always  reproaching  religion;  and 
directly  calumniatiDg,  or  scornfully  ridiculing  the  best  Chris- 
tians in  the  land;  and  profoundly  ignorant  of  Popery  and 
Jesuitism,  and  the  monastic  system. 

It  is  true  that  Priest  Conroy  of  New- York,  has  contradicted 
in  general  terms  the  truth  of  the  statement  respecting  himself, 
and  his  attempt  to  abduct  Maria  Monk  from  the  Almshouse. 
But  wj^t  does  he  deny  ?  He  is  plainly  charged,  in  the  "  Awful 
Disclosures,"  witli  a  protracted  endeavor,  by  fraud  or  hy  force 
to  remove  Maria  Monk  from  that  institution.  Now  that 
charge  Involves  a  flagrant  misdemeanor,  or  it  is  a  wicked  and 
gross  libel.    Let  him  answer  the  following  questions : 

Did  he  not  frequently  visit  the  house,  and  lurk  about  at  vari- 
ous times,  for  longer  and  shorter  periods,  expressly  to  have  an 
interview  with  Maria  Monk  ? 

Did  he  not  state  that  ho  was  acquainted  with  her  by  the  name 
she  bore  in  the  nunnery,  Sainte  Eustace. 

Did  he  not  declare  that  he  was  commissioned  by  Lartigue, 
Fhelan,  Dufresne,  Kelly,  and  the  Abbess  of  the  Hotel  Dieu 
Nunnery  at  Montreal,  to  obtain  a  possession  of  her,  that  she 
might  be  sent  back  to  the  abode  of  the  Furies ! 

Did  ho  not  offer  her  any  thing  she  pleased  to  demand,  pro- 
vided she  would  reside  with  the  Ursulines  of  this  city  ? 

Did  be  not  also  declare  that  he  would  have  her  at  all  risks, 
0  and  that  she  could  not  escape  him  ? 

Did  he  not  persevere  in  this  course  of  action,  until  he  was 


REVIEW     OF    THE     WHOLE     SUBJECT. 


201 


po>itivi'ly  ftssurt'd  tliftt  she  would  not  see  liim,  and  that  tho 
Priest  Cunroy  sh.mld  not  have  access  to  Maria  Monk? 

Was  not  tiio  priest  Kelly,  from  Canada,  in  Now- York  at  that 
period,  prompting  Com-uy  ;  and  did  not  that  same  Kelly  come  on 
hero  expressly  u>  ohtain  p(»ssession  of  Maria  Mon  .,  that  he  niight 
carry  her  back  to  the  Hotel  Dieu  Nunnery,  ihoro  to  mnrder  lier, 
as  his  accomplicos  have  smothered,  poisoned,  and  l/lcd  tu  de./th 
Other  victims  of  their  beastly  liccntiousnes-, .' 

All  these  questions  are  implied  in  Maria  Monk's  Htatement, 
and  they  involve  the  highest  degree  of  crime  against  the  liberty, 
rights,  and  life  of  Maria  Monk,  and  the  laws  of  New-York,  and 
tho  charge  is  either  true  or  false.  Why  does  not  the  Priest 
Oouroy  try  it?  "Why  does  he  not  demonstrate  that  ho  is  calum- 
niated, by  confronting  the  Authoress  and  Publisliers  of  tho  book 
before  an  impartial  jury.  We  are  assured  that  the  Executive 
connnittee  of  the  New- York  Protestant  Asssociatioa  will  give 
ten  dollars  to  any  Lawyer,  whom  Mr.  Conroy  will  authorize  to 
Institute  a  civil  suit  for  libel,  payable  at  the  termination  of  the 
process.  Will  he  subject  the  question  to  that  scrutiny?  Never. 
He  would  rather  follow  the  example  of  his  fellow  priests,  and 
depart  from  New-York.  Many  of  the  Maynooth  JesuidJ  after 
having  fled  from  Ireland  for  their  crimes,  to  this  country,  to 
avoid  the  punishments  due  to  them  for  the  repetition  of  them 
in  the  United  States,  and  to  elude  discovery,  have  assumed  false 
names  and  gone  to  France;  or  in  disguise  have  joined  their 
dissolute  companions  in  Canada. 

It  is  also  a  fact,  that  the  Priest,  named  Quarter,  with  one  of  his 
minions,  did  visit  the  house  where  Maria  Monk  resides,  on  the 
13th  day  of  February,  1836  ;  and  did  endeavor  to  see  her  alone, 
nnder  the  false  pretext  of  delivering  to  her  a  packet  from  her 
brother  in  Montreal ;  and  as  an  argument  for  having  an  inter- 
view with  her  without  company,  one  of  the  two  impostors  did 
protest  that  he  had  a  parcel  from  John  Monk  ;  which  "  he  had 
sworn  not  to  deliver  except  into  the  hands  of  his  sister  in  per- 
son." Now  what  object  had  ^r.  Quarter  in  view ;  and  what 
was  his  design  in  going  to  her  residence  between  nine  and  ten 
o^clock  at  night,  nnder  a  lying  pretence  ?  Mr.  Quarter  comes 
from  Oanada.    He  knows  all  the  Priests  of  Montreal.     For 

9* 


I 


ill  -\ 


\fp . ,  '>'} 


202 


REVIEW     OP     TllK     WHOLE     SUBJECT. 


^' 


what  purpose  did  ho  assume  n  fictitious  character,  and  utter 
base  and  wilful  falsehoods,  that  he  might  have  access  to  her, 
with  another  man,  when  Maria  Monk,  as  they  hoped,  would  bo 
without  a  protector?  For  what  ignoble  design  did  he  put  an 
old  Truth  Teller  into  a  i)arcel,  and  make  his  priest-ridden  minion 
declare  that  it  was  a  very  valuable  packet  of  letters  from  John 
Monk  ?  That  strungo  contrivance  requires  explanation.  Did 
Priest  Quarter  believe  that  Maria  Monk  was  in  Montreal  ?  Did 
he  doubt  lior  personal  identity  ?  Does  not  that  tact  alone  verify 
that  all  the  Roman  Priests  are  confederated  ?  Does  it  not  prove 
that  her  delineations  are  correct?  Does  it  not  evince  that  the 
Papal  Eccle.»iastic8  dread  the  disclosures? 

4.  The  great  ultimate  test  which  the  nature  of  this  case  demands. _ 
Challenge  of  the  New  York  Protestant  Association. — It  is  read- 
ily admitted,  that  the  lieinous  charges  which  are  made  by  Maria 
Monk  against  the  Roman  priests  cannot  easily  be  rebutted  in  the 
usual  form  of  disproving  criminal  allegations.  The  denial  of 
those  Priests  is  good  for  nothing,  and  they  cannot  show  an  alibi. 
But  there  is  one  mode  of  destroying  Maria  Monk's  testimony, 
equallyprowjjoi  and  decisive^  and  no  other  way  is  either  feasible, 
jusl,  or  can  be  efficient.  That  method  is  the  plan  proposed  by 
the  New- York  Protestant  Association. 

The  Hotel  Dieu  Nunnery  is  in  Montreal.  Here  is  Maria 
Monk's  description  of  its  interior  apartments  and  passages.  Slw 
offers  to  go  to  Montreal  under  the  protection  of  a  committee  of 
four  members  of  the  New-York  Protestant  Association,  and  in 
company  with  four  gentlemen  of  Montreal,  to  explore  the  Nun- 
nery ;  and  she  also  voluntarily  proposes  that  if  her  descriptions 
of  the  interior  of  the  Hotel  Dieu  Nunnery  are  not  found  to  be 
true,  she  will  surrender  herself  to  Lartigue  and  his  confederates 
to  torture  her  in  what  way  they  may  please,  or  will  bear  the 
punishment  of  the  civil  laws  as  a  base  and  wilful  slanderer  of  the 
Canadian  Jesuit  Eoclesiatics. 

When  Lartigue,  Bonin,  Dufresne,  Phelan,  Richards,  and  their 
fellows,  accede  to  this  proposition,  we  shall  hesitate  respecting 
Maria  Monk's  veracity  ;  until  then,  by  all  impartial  and  intelli- 
gent judges,  and  by  enlightened  Protestants  and  Christians,  the 
^^  Awful  Disolosures"  will  be  prouonnoed  nndeniable  faots. 


REVIEW     OP    THE     WHOLE     SUBJECT. 


203 


The  scrutiny,  however,  respectinj;  Mar'm  Monk's  credibility  com- 
prises two  general  (mesti<»ns,  to  which  wo  shall  succinctly  reply. 

1.  Was  ]Jnria  Monk  a  Nun  in  the  Hotel  iJieu  Convent  at 
Montreal? — In  ordinary  cnses,  to  dispute  respecting  a  circum- 
stance of  that  kind  would  be  deemed  a  most  strango  absurdity  ; 
and  almost  similar  to  an  inquiry  into  a  nmn'a  personal  identity 
wlien  his  living  form  is  before  your  eyes.  Maria  Monk  saya  slio 
was  a  nun,  presents  you  a  book  dei?criptive  of  the  Convent  in 
wliich  she  resided,  and  leaves  tlie  fact  of  her  abode  there  to  be 
verified  by  the  minute  accuracy  of  her  delineations  of  arcana, 
with  which  only  the  visiting  Roman  Priests  and  the  imprisoned 
nuns  are  acquainted.  That  test,  neither  Lartigue  nor  the  Priests 
will  permit  to  be  applied;  and  therefore,  so  far,  Maria  Monk's 
testimony  cannot  directly  be  corroborated.  It  is  however  not  a 
little  remarkable,  that  no  one  of  all  the  persons  so  boldly  im- 
peached by  her  of  the  most  atrocious  crimes,  has  even  whi>pered 
a  hint  that  she  was  not  a  nun  ;  while  the  priest  Conroy  has 
confirmed  that  fact  far  more  certainly  than  if  ho  had  openly  as- 
serted its  truth. 

6.  The  TeUimony  ofMn.  MonTc  considered. — The  only  evidence 
against  that  fact  is  her  mother.  Now  it  is  undeniable,  that  her 
mother  is  a  totally  incompetent  witness.  She  is  known  in  Mon- 
treal to  be  a  woman  of  but  little  principle ;  and  her  oath  in .  her 
daughter's  favour  would  be  injurious  to  her;  for  she  is  so  habi- 
tually intemperate,  that  it  is  questionable  whether  she  is  ever 
truly  competent  to  explain  any  matters  which  come  under  her 
notice.  Truth  re(piire8  this  declaration,  although  Maria,  with 
commendable  filial  feelings,  did  not  hint  at  the  fact.  Besides, 
during  a  number  of  years  past,  she  has  exhibited  a  most  unnatural 
aversion,  or  rather  animosity,  to  her  daughter ;  so  that  to  her  bar- 
barous usage  of  Maria  when  a  ciiiid,  may  bo  imputed  the  subse- 
quent scenes  through  wiiich  she  has  passed.  When  appealed  to 
res[>ectiiig  her  daughter,  her  uniform  language  was  such  as  this — 
*' I  do  not  care  what  i)ecomes  of  her,  or  who  takes  her,  or  wliere 
she  goes,  or  what  is  done  to  her,  provided  she  keeps  a>vay  from 


me. 


» 


It  is  also  testified  by  the  most  unexceptionable  witnesses  in 
Montreal,  that  when  Maria  Monk  went  to  that  city  in  August, 


'^l  I 


l     i 


m 


i.;i     }\ 


204 


REVIEW     OF    THE    WHOLE     SUBJECT. 


1835,  and  first  made  known  her  case,  that  Mrs.  Monk  repeatedly 
declared,  that  her  daughter  had  been  a  Kun  ;  and  that  she  had 
been  in  the  Nunneries  at  Montreal  a  large  portion  of  her  life. 
She  also  avowed,  that  the  offer  of  bribery  that  had  been  made 
unto  her,  had  been  made,  not  by  Protestants,  to  testify  that  her 
daughter  Maria  had  been  an  inmate  of  the  Hotel  Dieu  Nunnery ; 
but  by  the  Roman  Priests,  who  had  promised  her  one  hundred 
dollars,  if  she  would  make  an  affidavit  that  Maria  had  not  been 
in  that  nunnery  at  all ;  and  would  also  swear  to  any  other  mat- 
ters which  they  dictated.  Now  there  is  little  room  for  doubt, 
that  the  affidavit  tq  the  truth  of  which  she  finally  swore  was  thus 
obtained ;  for  she  has  not  capacity  to  compose  such  a  narrative, 
nor  has  she  been  in  a  state  of  mind,  for  a  number  of  years  past, 
to  understand  the  details  which  have  thus  craftily  been  imposed 
upon  the  public  in  her  name.  When  she  had  no  known  induce- 
ment to  falsify  the  fact  in  August,  1885,  before  the  Priests  be- 
came alarmed,  then  she  constantly  affirmed  that  her  daughter 
had  been  a  Nun ;  but  after  Lartigue  and  his  companions  were 
assured  that  her  daughter's  narrative  would  appear,  then  the 
mother  was  probably  bribed,  formally  to  swear  to  a  wilful 
falsehood ;  for  it  is  most  probable,  that  she  either  did  not  see, 
or  from  intoxication  could  not  comprehend,  the  contents  of  the 
paper  to  which  her  signature  is  affixed.  Her  habitual  intempe- 
rance, her  coarse  impiety,  her  long-indulged  hatred  and  cruelty 
towards  her  daughter,  and  her  flat  self-contradictions,  with  her 
repeated  and  public  declarations,  that  she  had  been  offisred  a 
large  sum  of  money  by  the  Montreal  Priests,  thus  to  depreciate 
her  daughter's  allegations,  and  to  attest  upon  oath  precisely  the 
contrary  to  that  which  she  had  previously  declared,  to  persons 
whose  sole  object  was  to  ascertain  the  truth — ^all  those  things 
demonstrate  that  Mrs.  Monk's  evidence  is  of  no  worth ;  and  yet 
that  is  all  the  opposite  evidence  which  can  be  adduced. 

6.  Testimony  in  fa/cmir  of  the  look. — ^Mr.  Miller  the  son  of 
Adam  Miller,  a  well  known  teacher  at  St.  John's,  who  has  known 
Maria  Monk  from  her  childhood,  and  who  is  now  a  resident  of 
New  York,  solemnly  attests,  that  in  the  month  of  August,  1888, 
he  made  inquiries  of  Mrs.  Monk  respecting  her  daughter  Mai'ia, 
and  that  Mrs.  Monk  informed  him  that  Maria  was  then  a  Nun  I 


REVIEW     0  1-'    THE     WHOLE     SUBJECT. 


205 


that  she  had  taken  the  yeil  previous  to  that  conversation,  and 
that  she  had  been  in  the  nunnery  for  a  number  of  years.  Mr. 
Miller  voluntarily  attests  to  that  fact.  He  was  totally  ignorant 
of  Maria  Monk's  being  out  of  the  Nunnery  at  Montreal,  until  he 
saw  her  book,  and  finally  by  searching  out  her  place  of  abode, 
renewed  the  acquaintance  with  her  which  had  existed  between 
them  from  the  period  when  she  attended  his  father's  school  in 
her  childhood.    See  the  affidavit  of  William  Miller. 

When  Maria  Monk  made  her  escape,  as  she  states,  from  the 
Hotel  Dieu  Nunnery,  she  took  refuge  in  the  house  of  a  woman 
named  Lavalliere  in  Elizabeth  street,  Montreal,  the  second  or 
third  door  from  the  corner  of  what  is  commonly  called  "  the 
Bishop's  Church."  Madame  Lavalliere  afterward  admitted,  that 
Maria  Monk  did  arrive  at  her  house  at  the  time  specified,  in  tlie 
usual  habiliments  of  a  Nun,  and  made  herself  known  as  an  eloped 
Nun ;  that  sjie  provided  her  with  other  clothing ;  and  that  she 
afterward  carried  the  Nun's  garments  to  the  Hotel  I)ieu  Nun- 
nery. 

After  her  escape,  Maria  Monk  narrates  that  she  went  on  board 

a  steamboat  for  Quebec,  intending  thereby  to  avoid  being  seized 
and  again  transferred  to  the  Nunnery,  that  she  was  recognised 
by  the  Captain,  was  kept  under  close  watch  during  the  whole 
period  of  the  stay  of  that  boat  at  Quebec,  and  merely  by  accident 
escaped  the  hands  of  the  Priests,  by  watching  for  an  unexpected 
opportunity  to  gain  the  shore  during  the  absence  of  the  Captain, 
and  the  momentary  negligence  of  the  female  attendant  in  the 

cabin.    The  woman  was  called  Margaret ,  the  other  name 

is  forgotten.  The  name  of  the  Master  of  the  steamboat  is  prob- 
ably known  and  he  has  never  pretended  to  deny  that  statement, 
that  he  did  thus  detain  Maria  Monk,  would  not  permit  her  to  gc> 
on  shore  at  Quebec,  and  that  he  also  conducted  her  back  to  Mon- 
treal ;  having  suspected  or  ascertained  that  she  was  a  Nun  who 
had  clandestinely  escaped  from  a  Convent. 

7.  Corroborative  evidence  unintentionally  furnished  hy  the  op- 
ponents of  the  iook. — After  her  flight  from  the  steamboat,  she 
was  found  early  in  the  morning,  in  a  very  perilous  situation, 
either  on  the  banks,  or  partly  in  Lachine  Canal,  and  was  com- 
mitted to  the  public  prison  by  Dr.  Robertson,  whence  she  was 


I 


r  '..i:l 


',1      ,1     I 


206 


REVIEW     OP    THE     WHOLE     SUBJECT. 


Speedily  released  through  the  intervention  of  Mr.  Esson,  one  of 
the  Presbyterian  ministers  of  Montreal.  Upon  this  topic,  her 
statement  coincides  exactly  with  that  of  Dr.  liubertson. 

But  he  also  states — "Although  incredulous  as  to  the  truth  of 
Maria  Monk's  story,  I  thought  it  incumbent  upon  me  to  make 
some  inquiry  concerning  it,  and  have  ascertained  where  she  has 
been  residing  a  great  part  of  the  time  she  states  having  been  an 
inmate  of  the  Nunnery.  During  the  summer  of  1832,  she  was  at, 
service  at  William  Blenry ;  the  winters  of  1832-3,  she  passed  in 
this  neighborhood  at  St.  Ours  and  St.  Denis," 

That  is  most  remarkable  testimony,  because,  although  Papists 
may  justly  be  admitted  to  know  nothing  of  times  and  dates, 
unless  by  their  Carnivals,  their  Festivals,  their  Lent,  or  their 
Penance — ^}'et  Protestant  Magistrates  might  be  more  precise. 
Especially,  as  it  is  a  certain  fact,  that  no  person  at  Sorel  can  be 
discovered,  who  is  at  all  acquainted  with  such  a  young  woman  in 
service  in  the  summer  of  1832.  It  is  true,  she  did  reside  at  St. 
Denis  or  St.  Ours,  as  the  Roman  Priests  can  testify ;  but  not 
at  the  period  specified  by  Dr.  Robertson. 

For  the  testimony  of  a  decisive  witness  in  favour  of  Maria 
Monk,  see  the  statement  of  an  old  schoolmate  in  Appendix. 

8.  Summai'y  view  ojr  the  evidence. — ^Let  us  sum  up  this  con- 
tradictory evidence  respecting  the  simple  fact,  whether  Maria 
Monk  was  a  resident  of  the  Hotel  Dieu  Nunnery  or  not? 

Her  mother  says — "  I  denied  that  my  daughter  had  ever  been 
in  a  Nunnery. "  Dr.  Robertson  informed  us — "  I  have  ascertain- 
ed where  she  has  been  residing  a  great  part  of  the  time  she  states 
having  been  an  inmate  of  the  Nunnery."  That  is  all  which  can 
be  adduced  to  Qontradict  Maria  Monk's  statement. 

This  is  a  most  extraordinary  afi^air,  that  a  young  woman's 
place  of  abode  cannot  be  accurately  discovered  during  several 
years,  when  all  the  controversy  depends  upon  the  fact  of  that 
residence.  Why  did  not  Dr.  Robertson  specify  minutely  with 
whom  Maria  Monk  lived  at  service  at  William  Henry,  in  the 
summer  of  1832  ? — Why  did  not  Dr.  Robertson  exactly  designate 
where,  and  with  whom,  she  resided  at  St.  Denis  and  St.  Ours,  in 
the  winters  of  1832  and  1833  ?  The  only  answer  to  these  ques- 
tions is  this — Dr.  Robertson  runnot.   He  obtained  his  contradictor 


REVIEW     OF    THE     WHOLE     SUBJECT. 


207 


m 


ry  information  most  probably  from  her  mother,  or  from  the  Priest 
Kelly,  and  then  embodied  it  in  liis  affidavit  to  regain  that  favour 
and  popularity  with  t!ie  Montreal  Papists  wliich  he  has  so  long 
lost.  We  are  convinced  that  neither  the  evidence  of  Mrs.  Monk, 
nor  Dr.  Robertson,  would  be  of  a  featlier's  weight  in  a  court  of 

justice  against  the  other  witnesses,  Mrs. ,  and  Mr.  William 

Miller. 

Maria  Monk  asserts,  that  she  was  a  resident  of  the  Hotel  Dieu 
Nunnery  during  the  period  designated  by  Dr.  Robertson,  wliich 
is  familiarly  denominated  the  Cholera  summer.  In  her  narrative 
she  develops  a  variety  of  minute  and  characteristic  details  of 
proceedings  in  that  Institution,  connected  with  things  which  all 
persons  in  Montreal  know  to  have  actually  occurred,  and  of  events 
which  it  is  equally  certain  did  happen,  and  which  did  not  transpire 
anywhere  else;  and  ■which  is  impossible  could  have  taken  place 
at  S«)rel  or  William  Henry ;  because  there  is  no  Nunnery  there ; 
and  consequently  her  descriptions  would  be  purely  fabricated  and 
ficticious. 

But  the  things  asserted  are  not  inventions  of  imagination.  No 
person  could  thus  delineate  scenes  which  he  bad  not  beheld ; 
and  therefore  Maria  Monk  witnessed  them;  consequently,  she 
was  a  member  of  that  family  community ;  for  the  circumstances 
which  she  narrates  nowhere  else  occurred.  At  all  events,  it 
seems  more  reasonable  to  suppose  that  an  individual  can  more 
certainly  tell  what  had  been  his  own  course  of  life,  than  persons 
who,  by  their  own  admission,  know  nothing  of  the  subject ;  and 
especially  when  her  statements  are  confirmed  by  such  unexcep- 
tionable witnesses. 

There  are,  however,  two  collateral  points  of  evidence  which 
strongly  confirm  Maria  Monk's  direct  statements.  One  is  derived 
from  the  very  character  of  the  acknowledgments  which  she 
made,  and  the  period  when  they  were  first  disclosed.  "A 
death-bed,"  says  the  Poet,  "  is  a  detecter  of  the  heart."  Now 
it  is  certain,  tliat  the  appalling  facts  which  she  states,  were  not 
primarily  made  in  a  season  of  hilarity,  or  with  any  design  to 
"  make  money "  by  them,  or  with  any  expectation  that  they 
would  be  known  to  any  other  person  than  Mr.  Hilliker,  Mr. 
Tappan,  an<l  a  few  others  at  Bellevue;  but  when  there  was  no 


I 


I 


I 


1 


'tM 


inijiBi       f. 


!:i.:':,; 


208 


REVIEW  OF  THE  WHOLE  SUBJECT. 


anticipation  that  lier  life  would  be  prolonged,  and  when  agonized 
with  the  most  dreadful  retrospection  and  prospects. 

It  is  not  possible  to  believe,  tliat  any  woman  would  confess 
those  facts  which  are  divulged  by  Maria  Monk,  unless  from  dread 
of  deatlj  and  the  judgment  to  come,  or  from  the  eifect  of  pro- 
found Christian  penitence.  Feminine  reputrnance  would  be 
invincible.  Thus,  the  alarm  of  eternity,  her  entrance  upon 
which  appeared  to  be  so  immediate,  wns  the  only  cause  of  those 
communications;  which  incontestably  prove,  thati  Nunneries  are 
the  very  imrseries  of  the  most  nefarious  crimes,  and  the  most 
abandoned  transgressors. 

The  other  consideration  is  this — that  admitting  the  statements 
to  be  true,  Maria  Monk  could  not  be  unconscious  of  the  malig- 
nity of  Eoman  Priests,  and  of  her  own  danger ;  and  if  her  state- 
ments were  fictitious,  she  was  doubly  involving  herself  in  irre- 
parable disgrace  and  ruin.  In  either  case,  as  long  as  she  was 
in  New  York  she  was  personally  safe ;  and  as  her  disclosures 
had.  been  restricted  to  very  few  persons,  she  might  have  with- 
drawn from  the  public  institution,  and  in  privacy  have  passed 
away  her  life,  ''  alike  unknowing  and  unknown."  Lunacy  itself 
coidd  only  have  instigated  a  woman  situated  as  she  was,  to  visit 
Hontreal,  and  there  defy  the  power,  and  malice,  and  fury  of  the 
Roman  Priests,  and  their  myrmidons;  by  accumulating  upon 
them  charges  of  rape,  infanticide,  the  aflfliction  of  the  toriureg 
of  the  Inquisition,  and  murders  of  cold-blooded  ferocity  in  the 
highest  degree,  with  all  the  atrocious  concomitant  iniquities 
which  those  prolific  sins  include. 

Now  it  is  certain,  that  she  was  not  deranged ;  and  she  was 
not  forced.  She  went  deliberately,  and  of  her  own  accord,  to 
meet  the  Popish  Priests  upon  the  spot  where  their  crimes  are 
perpetrated,  and  the  stronghold  of  their  power.  Whether 
that  measure  was  the  most  prudent  and  politic  for  herself,  and 
the  most  wise  and  efficient  for  the  acquisition  of  the  avowed 
object,  may  be  disputed ;  but  the  exemplary  openness  and  the 
magnanimous  daring  of  that  act  cannot  be  controverted. 

The  narrative,  pages  116  to  127,  respecting  the  cholera  and 
the  election  riots  at  Montreal,  both  which  scenes  happened  at 
the  period  when  Dr.  Eobertson  says  Maria  Monk  was  at  Wil- 
liam Henry,  or  St.  Denis,  or  St.  Ours ;  could  not  have  been 
described,  at  least  that  part  of  it  respecting  the  wax  candles, 
and  the  preparation  for  defence,  except  by  a  resident  of  the 
Nunnery. 

It  is  a  public,  notorious  fact,  that  "ble?sed  candles"  were 
made,  and  sold  by  the  Nuns,  and  used  at  Montreal  under  the 
pretext  to  preserve  the  houses  from  the  Cholera,  and  to  drive 
it  away ;  that  those  candles  were  directed  so  to  be  kept  burning 
by  the  pretended  injunction  of  the  Pope ;  and  that  large  quan- 


REVIEW    OF    THE    WHOLE     SUBJECT. 


209 


titles  of  the  Nuunery  cnndles  were  dispersed  about  Montreal 
and  its  vicinity,  wliich  were  fixed  at  a  liij.'h  price ;  and  whoever 
suffered  by  the  Cholera,  tlie  Nuns  and  their  Master^^,  the 
Priests,  could  truly  say — "  By  this  craft  we  liave  our  wealth." 
Acts  19  :  25.  It  is  obvious,  tliat  a  young  Papist  woman  at  ser- 
vice at  William  Henry,  cojild  know  no  more  of  those  matters, 
than  if  slie  had  been  at  Labrador ;  for  the  incidental  reinark 
witli  which  that  part  of  the  narrative  commences,  is  one  of 
those  apparently  supertiuous  intimations,  which  it  is  evident  a 
])erson  who  was  writing  a  fiction  would  not  introduce ;  and  yet 
it  is  so  profoundly  characteristic  of  a  Canadian  ^Convent,  that 
its  very  simple  artlessness  at  once  obliterates  Dr.  Robertson's 
affidavit.  "There  were  a  few  instances,  and  only  a  few,  in 
which  we  knew  any  thing  that  was  happening  in  the  world ; 
and  even  then  our  knowledge  did  not  extend  out  of  the  city." 
We  cannot  be  infallibly  certain  of  Maria  Monk's  description  of 
the  interior  of  the  Nunnery ;  but  that  unpremeditated  remark, 
so  minutely  descriptive  of  the  predominating  ignorance  among 
the  Nuns  of  all  terrestial  concerns  exterior  of  the  Convent,  is 
satisfactory  proof  that  the  narrator  was  not  sketching  from 
fancy,  but  depicting  from  actual  life. 

From  those  testimonies,  direct  and  unintentional,  it  is  fully 
evident,  that  Maria  Monk  was  a  long  resident,  and  is  profoundly 
acquainted  with  the  doings  in  the  Hotel  Dieu  Convent  at  Mon- 
treal. 

n.  What  collateral  evidence  can  be  adduced  of  the  truth  of 
the  "  Awful  Disclosures"  by  Maria  Monk  ? 

1.  One  corroborative  testimony  is  derived  from  the  silence  of 
the  Roman  Priests  and  their  avowed  partizans.  Months  havo 
passed  away  since  the  first  statements  of  those  matters  were 
made,  and  also  the  defence  of  the  Priests,  with  the  affidavits 
and  other  connected  circumstances,  were  presented  to  the  pub- 
lic in  the  Protestant  Vindicator.  One  of  the  persons  in  Mon- 
treal, who  was  in  favour  of  the  Jesuits,  Mr.  Doucet,  stated  that 
"  the  Priests  never  take  up  such  things ;  they  allow  tlieir  char- 
acter to  defend  itself."  There  was  a  time  when  that  contempt- 
uous course  would  havo  sufficed,  or  rather,  when  to  have  snokerv 
the  truth  of  the  Roman  Priests  would  have  cost  a  man  his  life, 
and  overwhelmed  his  family  in  penury,  disgrace,  and  anguish. 
The  Canadian  Jesuits  may  be  assured  that  time  has  passed  away, 
never  more  to  return.  They  must  take  up  this  thing;  ft)r  their 
characters  cannot  defend  themselves ;  and  every  etdightened 
man  in  Canada  knows,  that  in  a  moral  aspect,  they  cannot 
be  defended. 

Argument,  denial,  affidavits,  if  they  could  reach  from  Mon- 
treal to  New  York,  and  the  oaths  of  every  Papist  and  Infidel 
in  Canada,  from  Joseph  Signay,  the  Popish  Prelate  of  Quebeo 


m 


I 


m 


''I  i« 


»■  I. 


210 


REVIEW     OF    THE    WHOLE     SUBJECT. 


and  Jean  Jac^^tfes  Lartigue,  the  Suffragan  of  Montreal,  down  to 
the  most  proHigato  of  the  half-pay  military  officers,  among 
whom  are  to  be  found  some  of  tiie  dregs  of  the  Hriti.-h  army, 
all  oi  tiiem  will  avail  nothing.  They  are  not  worth  a  puff  of 
wind  against  the  inrernjil  evidence  of  Maria  Monk's  book,  in 
connexion  with  the  rejection  of  the  proposal  of  the  New  York 
Protestan*'  Assooiution,  that  the  Nunnery  shall  undergo  a  strict 
and  impartial  examination. 

It  is  one  of  the  remarkable  evidences  of  the  extraordinary 
delusion  which  blinds,  or  the  infatuation  which  enchains  the  pub- 
lic mind,  that  men  will  not  credit  the  corruptions  and  barbari- 
ties of  Romanism.  To  account  for  this  stupefaction  among 
persons  who  are  wide  awake  to  every  other  system  of  deadly 
evil,  is  almost  impossible.  Popery  necessarily  extirpates  the 
rights  of  man.  It  ever  has  destroyed  the  well-being  of  society. 
By  it,  all  municipal  law  and  domestic  obligations  are  abrogated  : 
It  always  subverts  national  prosperity  and  stability ;  and  it  is 
the  invi&oible  extinguisher  of  all  true  morality  and  genuine 
religion.  Notwithstanding,  men  will  give  credence  neither  to 
its  own  avowed  principles,  character,  and  spirit ;  nor  to  the 
unavoidable  effects  which  con.stantly  have  flowed  from  its  opera- 
tions and  predominance. 

In  any  other  case  but  one  exposing  the  abominations  of  Po- 
pery, such  a  volume  as  Maria  Monk's  "  Awful  Disclosures" 
would  have  been  received  without  cavil ;  and  immediate  judi- 
cial measures  would  have  been  adopted,  to  ascertain  the  cer- 
tainty of  the  alleged  facts,  and  the  extent  and  aggravation  of 
their  criminality.  But  now  persons  are  calling  for  more  evi- 
dence, when,  it  they  reflected  but  for  a  moment,  they  would  per- 
ceive, that  the  only  additional  evidence  possible,  is  under  the 
entire  control  of  the  very  persons  who  are  criminated  ;  and  to 
whom  the  admission  of  further  testimony  would  be  the  aocu- 
midation  of  indelible  ignominy. 

The  pretence,  that  it  is  contrary  to  their  rules  to  allow  stran- 
gers to  explore  the  interior  of  a  nunnery,  only  adds  insult  to 
crime.  Why  should  a  Convent  be  exempt  from  search,  more 
tlian  any  other  editice?  Why  should  Roman  Priests  be  at  lib- 
erty to  perpetrate  every  deed  of  darkness  in  impenetrable 
recesses  called  nunneries?  Why  should  one  body  of  females, 
shut  up  in  a  certain  si)ecies  of  mansion,  to  whom  only  one  class 
of  men  have  unrestricted  access,  be  excluded  fnMU  all  public 
and  legal  supervision,  more  than  any  other  habitation  of  lewd 
women,  into  which  all  men  may  enter?  A-*  citizens  of  the  Uni- 
ted States,  we  do  not  pretend  to  have  any  authoritative  claim 
to  exfdore  a  convent  within  the  dominion  of  a  foreign  potentate. 
The  Roman  Priests  of  Canada,  exercise  a  vast  influence,  and 
are  completely  intertwined  with  the  Jesuits,  in  this  republic. 


REVIEW     OF    THE     WHOLE     SUBJECT 


211 


Thenfore,  whi-n  tlioy  remember  tlio  extinction  of  the  nunneries 
at  Monroe.  Mirliijr.'m,  Cliaili'stown,  and  Pitt^b^r^';  and  when 
tliey  recdiU'ct,  ili.nt  tlic  delineations  of  Maria  Monk,  if  they  pro- 
duce no  etitct  in  Canada,  will  aji.-urcdly  render  female  convents 
in  the  United  States  very  ^usj)i(•i(>ns  and  insecure;  if  th^y  liave 
any  s-olieitude  for  their  con fi derates,  they  will  intrepidly  defy 
research,  and  dauntlessly  accept  tlie  otler  of  tlie  New  York 
Prote.-«tant  Association  :  that  a  joint  committee  of  di-interested, 
etdi<.ditened  and  honorable  judjres,  should  tnlly  investigate,  and 
equi'.ably  decide  upon  the  trnih  or  falsehood  of  Mariu  Monk's 
avtMMuents.  Their  ominous  silence,  their  ati'ected  contempt, 
and  their  audacious  refusal,  are  cacul.ited  only  to  convince 
every  impartial  ])erson,  of  even  the  sniallest  discernment,  tif 
the  real  state  of  things  in  that  edifiio  ;  that  the  chambers  of  pol- 
lutlofj  are  above,  and  tlmt  the  dungeon  of  tt)rture  and  death  are 
below;  and  that  they  dread  the  exposure  of  the  theatre  on 
which  their  liorrible  tragedies  are  performed. 

It  is  also  a  fact  publicly  avoAved  by  certain  Montreal  Papists 
themselves,  and  extensively  told  in  taunt  and  triumpfh,  that 
they  liave  been  employed  as  masons  and  carpenters  by  the 
Ronuin  Priefits,  since  Maria  Monk's  visit  to  Montreal  in  August, 
1835,  expressly  to  alter  various  parts  of  the  Hotel  Dieu  Convent, 
and  to  close  up  some  of  the  subterraneous  passages  and  cells 
in  that  nunnery.  This  circumstance  is  not  pretended  even  to 
be  disputed  or  doubted  ;  for  when  the  dungeons  under  ground 
are  spoken  of  before  the  Papists,  their  remark  is  this :  Eh 
bien !  niais  vous  ne  les  trouverez  pas,  b.  present;  on  les  a  cach^ 
hors  de  vue.  Very  w€  11,  you  will  not  lind  them  there  now; 
they  are  closed  up,  and  out  of  sight."  Why  was  the  manoeu- 
vre completed  ?  Manifestly,  that  in  urgent  extremity,  a  casual 
explorer  nnght  be  deceived,  by  the  apparent  proof  tliat  the  ave- 
nues, and  places  of  imprisonment  and  torture  which  Maria 
Monk  describes  are  not  discoverable.  Now  vJmt  circumstance 
might  not  even  been  suspected,  if  the  Papist  workmen  them- 
selves had  not  openly  boasted  of  the  chicanery  by  which  the 
Priests,  who  employed  them,  expected  to  blind  and  deceive  the 
Protestants.  For  in  reference  to  the  Romanists,  a  Popish 
Priest  well  knows  that  nothing  more  is  necessary  than  for  him 
to  assert  any  absurdity,  however  gross  or  impossible,  and  attest 
it  by  tiiefive  cro^ses  on  his  vestments,  and  his  own  superstitit)U8 
vassal  believes  it  with  more  assurance  than  bis  own  personal 
identity.  But  the  tilling  up  and  the  concealment  of  tlie  old 
apertures  in  the  nunnery,  by  the  order  of  the  Roman  Priests  are 
scarcely  less  powerful  corroborative  proof  of  Maria  Monk's 
delineations,  than  ocular  and  palpable  demonstration. 

2.  Some  of  the  circumstances  attending  Maria  Monk's  visit  to 
Montreal,    in  August,   1835,  add  great  weight  in  favour   of 


f 


mm 


M 


212 


REVIEW     OF    THE     WHOLE     SUBJECT. 


the  truth,  wliich  no  cavils,  skepticism,  scorn,  nor  menaces,  can 
cui;ntorl)ulurice. 

Wo  will  however  state  one  very  recent  occurrence,  because  it 
seems  to  us,  tliut  it  alone  is  uliiiust  decisive  of  the  controversy. 
A  counsellor  ot  Quebec — his  name  is  omitted  merely  I'rom  dtli- 
r,.,cy  mid  j)rudeniial  con^ideratiolls — has  been  in  Now  Yorlc  since 
the  publication  of  the  "Awful  Di8clo8ure^."  His  mind  was  so 
mucli  indiienced  by  the  perusal  of  that  volume,  that  he  souglit 
out  the  Authoress,  and  most  closely  searched  into  the  credibility 
<»!  htv  statements.  Before  the  termination  of  the  interview, 
that  gentleman  became  so  convinced  of  the  truth  of  the  picture 
\x  iiich  Maria  Monk  drew  of  the  interior  of  the  Canadian  Nun- 
leries,  that  he  expressed  himself  to  the  following  etiect: — "My 
(hiugliter,  about  15  years  of  age,  is  in  the  Ursuline  Convent  at 
Quebec.  I  will  return  home  immediately;  and  if  I  cannot  re- 
move her  any  other  way,  1  will  drag  her  out  by  the  hair  of  her 
head,  and  raise  a  noise  about  their  ears  that  shall  not  soon  be 
quieted." 

That  gentleman  did*  so  return  to  Quebec,  since  which  he  has 
again  visited  New  York ;  and  he  stated,  that  upon  his  arrival  in 
Quebec,  he  went  to  the  Convent,  and  instantly  removed  his 
daughter  from  the  Ursuline  Nunnery;  from  whom  he  ascertain- 
ed, as  far  as  she  had  been  initiated  into  the  mysteries,  that  Maria 
Monk's  descriptions  of  Canadian  Nunneries,  are  most  minutely 
and  undeniably  accurate. 

We  have  already  remarked,  that  Mrs.  ****,  Mr.  Lloyd,  Mr. 
Hogun,  and  Mr.  Smith,  who  was  a  Pai)ist  Priest,  with  scores  of 
oilier  persons  who  formerly  resided  in  Montreal,  all  express  their 
unqualified  belief  of  the  statements  made  by  Maria  Monk.  Mr. 
Ogden's  acquaintance  with  the  facts,  as  Attorney  General,  and 
that  of  other  officers  of  the  Provincial  Government,  have  also 
been  noticed.  The  ensuing  additional  circumstances  are  of  pri- 
mary importance  to  a  correct  estimate  of  the  value  which  should 
be  attached  to  the  crafty  silence  of  the  Boman  Priests  and  the 
impudent  denials  of  iutidel. profligates. 

Mr.  Boutiiillier,  one  of  the  Montreal  Magistrates,  called  at  Mr. 
Johnson's  house  where  Maria  Monk  stayed,  in  the  month  of 
August,  1835,  when  visiting  Montreal. 

He  addressed  her  and  said: — "  Tijere  is  some  mystery  about 
Novices — What  is  it?  and  asked  how  long  a  woman  must  be  a 
novice  before  she  can  take  the  veil?"  Having  been  answered, 
Mr.  Bouthillier  tiien  desired  Maria  Monk  to  describe  the  Supe- 
rior of  the  Hotel  Hieu  Nunnery.  As  soon  as  it  was  done,  he 
became  enraged  ,  and  said — "  Vous  dites  un  mensonge,  vous  en 
savez.  You  lie,  you  know  you  do?" — ^Mr.  Bouthillier  next  in- 
quired— "  Was  Mr.  Tabeau  in  the  Holy  Retreat  when  you  left 
the  Convent  ?"    She  answered  "  Yes."    To  which  he  repUiad  in 


REVIEW  OF  THE  WHOLE  SUBJECT. 


213 


French — "  Anybody  might  have  answered  that  question." 
Sotiielhii)^'  having  boon  tmid  about  the  Hutcl  Dieu  Nuns  being 
oontined  io  tiieir  convent,  Mr.  Bouthillier  dechired,  that  they 
were  ulluwed  to  go  almut  the  streets.  He  was  told  that  could 
not  be  the  case,  for  it  wus  a  direct  violation  ot"  the  rules  for 
Nuns  to  depart  from  the  Uotel  Dieu  Nunnery.  He  replied — 
*'  Ce  n'est  i)as  vrai.  Tliat  is  not  true,"  Mr.  Boutliillier  then 
becajne  very  angry,  and  ap[)lied  to  Maria  Monk  some  very  abu- 
sive epithets,  tor  which  a  gentleman  in  the  room  reproved  him. 
it  wus  evident,  that  he  lost  his  temper  because  he  had  lost 
his  argument,  and  his  hopes  of  controverting  her  statements. 

On  tlio  Lord's  day  after  Maria  Monk's  arrival  in  Montreal,  and 
when  the  matter  had  become  well  known  and  much  talked 
about,  Phelan,  ihe  Priest,  at  the  end  of  mass,  addresssed  the  Pa- 
pists, who  were  assembled  to  hear  mass,  to  this  effect:  "There 
is  a  certain  nun  in  this  city  who  has  left  our  faith,  and  joined 
the  Proiestants.  She  has  a  child  of  which  she  is  ready  to  swear 
I  am  the  father.  She  wishes  in  this  way  to  take  my  gown  from 
me.  If  1  kiiew  where  to  tind  her,  I  would  put  lier  in  prison.  I 
mention  this  to  guard  you  against  being  deceived  by  what  she 
may  say.  The  Devil  now  has  such  hold  upon  people  that  there 
U  danger  lest  some  might  believe  her  story."  Ho  then  pretend- 
ed to  weep,  and  appeared  to  be  overcome  with  feeling.  A 
number  of  the  people  gathered  around  him,  and  he  said  :  "  That 
nun  is  Antichrist.  She  is  not  a  human  being,  but  an  evil  spirit, 
who  got  among  the  Catholics  and  was  admitted  into  ihe  nun- 


nery^  whore  she  learned  the  rules."  He  also  stated,  that  "  in 
that  nun,  the  prophecy  respecting  the  coming  of  Antichrist  is 
fullilled,  to  break  down  the  Catholic  religion."  Such  was  Phe- 
lau's  address  to  the  people.  He  declared  that  Maria  Monk  had 
been  a  Dun.  Now  he  knew  her,  for  he  saw  her  in  Montreal, 
where  she  cou'.d  not  know  him.  It  would  have  saved  all  further 
inquiry  and  research,  if,  instead  of  denouncing  her  after  mass, 
he  had  merely  assented  to  Maria  Monk's  proposition,  to  be  con- 
fronted with  those  Roman  Priests  and  nuns  before  impartial 
witnesses  in  the  Hotel  Dieu  Convent. 

One  of  the  most  impressively  characteristic  circumstances 
wliich  occurred  during  Maria  Monk's  visit  to  Montreal  in  Aug. 
1835,  was  an  interview  at  Mr.  Johnson's  house  with  a  carpenter 
who  liad  heard  Phelan's  denunciation  of  Maria  Muuk  after  mass. 
Refer  to  page  177. 

The  heinous  destruction  of  all  domestic  confidence  and  of  all 
female  purity,  is  known  io  be  the  constant  and  general  practice, 
not  only  in  Canada,  but  in  all  other  Popish  countries,  and  among 
Papists  in  every  part  of  the  world.  Tor  in  truth  it  is  only 
fultilling  the  authentic  dogmas  of  their  own  system.  The  follow- 
ing authoritative  principles  are  divulged  in  the  Corpus  Juris  Can- 


» 


!,■    'il 


J' 


214 


REVIEW     OF    THE    WHOLE    SUBJECT. 


onjci,  wliioh  oontnins  tlie  Docretnls,  Cnnons,  &c.  of  the  Popes 
and  Cnuiu'ils;  and  otiier  ixirticiptints  of  the  pretended  Papal 
iiitidlil*iiity.  ^^If  tlie  Pope  fall  into  homicide  or  adultery,  ho 
cannot  be  accused,  but  is  excused  by  the  murders  of  8atiiHon, 
and  tlie  adultery  of  I>avid."  llujfo,  Glnssn,  distinc.  40  Cliapter, 
Non  vos. — "Likewise  if  any  Priest  is  found  embracing  a  woman, 
it  h  ust  be  f)resuppo8ed  and  expounded  that  he  doth  it  to  blnss 
her!" — Gh)S8a,  (Jans.  12.  Quest.  8.  Chapter  Absis.  According 
to  the  Pope's  bull  he  who  does  not  believe  those  doctrines  is 
accursed. 

As  that  carpenter  was  completely  overcome  by  tlie  recollec- 
tion of  the  Priest's  information  and  caution  about  his  marriapro, 
he  desisted  from  any  further  questions;  but  upon  Maria  Monk's 
declaration,  that  i*he  was  desirous  to  go  into  the  convent,  and 
prove  all  her  accusations  against  the  Priests  and  Nuns,  he  with- 
drew. Soon  after  he  returned,  and  f'tated,  that  he  had  been  to 
the  Convent,  to  inquire  respecting  her;  and  that  he  had  been 
informed,  that  she  had  once  belonged  to  the  Nunnery;  but  that 
they  would  not  any  longer  own  or  recognise  her.  Afterwards 
lie  exhibited  the  most  contradictory  emotions,  and  tirst  cursed 
Maria  Monk;  then  reviled  the  Priests,  a]>plying  to  them  all  tlie 
loathsome  epithets  in  the  Canadian  vocabulary.  Subsequently, 
he  went  to  make  inquiries  at  the  Seminary ;  and  after  his  return 
to  Mr.  Johnson's  house  he  declared,  that  the  persons  there  had 
informed  him,  that  Maria  Monk  had  lived  in  the  Nunnery,  but 
not  as  a  Nun ;  then  he  offered  to  assist  her  in  her  endeavours  to 
expose  the  Priests ;  and  finally  disappeared,  swearing  aloud  as 
he  was  retiring  from  the  house;  and  apparently  thinking  over 
the  conduct  of  the  Priest  to  his  wife  before  their  marriage.  "  Oh, 
saore!" — he  repeated  to  himself — "  c'est  trop  mechant  I" 

Similar  facts  to  the  above  occurred  frequently  during  the  time 
of  Maria  Monk's  visit  to  Montreal — in  wliich  strangers  who 
called  upon  her,  cursed  and  reviled  her;  then  believed  her  state- 
ments and  assented  to  them — and  displayed  all  the  natural  ex- 
citement which  was  necessarily  comprised  in  the  working  of 
their  own  belief  and  convictions  of  the  iniquity  of  the  Priests, 
and  the  dread  resulting  from  their  own  superatitious  vassalage, 
and  the  certainty  of  a  heavy  penance. 

But  in  connexion  with  the  preceding  collateral  evidence  is 
another  remarkable  circumstance,  whicii  is  this:  the  extensive 
knowledge  which  Maria  Monk  has  obtained  of  the  Canadian 
Jesuits.  Those  with  whom  she  has  been  acquainted,  she  atiHrms 
that-»lie  could  instantly  identify.  For  that  object,  fhe  has  given 
a  catalogue  of  those  Priests  whose  names  and  persons  are  in 
some  degree  familiarly  known  to  her.  As  the  Priests  are  often 
changing  their  abodes,  and  many  of  them  resident.3  in  Montreal 
until  a  vacancy  occurs  for  them  in  the  country  parishes,  in  those 


R  E  V  I  E  W     O  F    T  H  K     W  HO  I.  K     SUBJECT. 


215 


pftrticuliir.s  tliero  iimy  l)o  a  trlflinpf  mistnko;  but  Mnrift  Monk 
solfiiiiily  iivcru,  tliat  ilio  IMisis,  wlullier  (U-nd  or  livin^f,  wliouro 
caiiiiu't'ated  ill  tliu  suhHcqiietit  catalogue,  either  have  ilsveltordo 
yel  reside  in  the  )>hices  hpecilied.  When  unexpectedly  and 
clo>el}'  examined  in  rot'erencu  to  the  PriestH  of  the  »aine  name, 
8he  piirticidurly  distingt)i>lied  them,  and  pointed  outtheditVereru^ 
lietween  them  in  their  persons,  gait,  &C. ;  tiius  precluding  all 
objection  from  tlio  fact  of  there  being  more  than  one  I'ricst  with 
a  similar  aopelUitivo.  This  circumstuneo  ])nrtictdarly  is  illustra- 
ted by  the  Priests  named  Marcoux,  o'  whom  she  says  there  aro 
three  brothers  or  first  cousins — two  called  Dufresne,  &c. :  each 
of  whom  she  graphically  depicts,  li  is  also  certain,  because  she 
has  done  it  in  a  great  variety  of  instances,  and  in  the  presence 
of  many  different  perf-on.%  all  of  whom  are  well  acquainted  with 
then),  that  she  describe.^  Lartigue  ;  Dufresne ;  liichard  ;  Phelan; 
Botnn;  Comte;  Bourget;  McMahon  ;  Kelly;  Demers;  Iloux; 
Roque ;  Sauvage;  Tabeau ;  Marccux ;  Morin;  Durocher;  and 
all  the  Roman  Priests  around  Montreal,  with  the  utmost 
minuteness  of  accuracy;  while  the  Chaplain  of  the  Ur^ullno 
Nunnery  at  Quebec,  Father  Daul6,  is  as  exactly  depicted  by  her, 
AS  if  her  whole  life  bad  been  passed  under  his  surveillance. 
Borne  of  the  appellatives  in  the  ensuing  catalogue  may  not  be 
correctly  spelt.  Scarcely  any  thing  is  more  difficult  than  to 
acquite  proper  names  inaforeign  language;  and  especially  where 
the  pronunciation  itself  is  provincial,  as  is  the  case  with  Cana- 
dian French  ;  and  when  also  those  titles  have  to  be  transcribed 
from  the  nxmth  of  a  person  who  knows  no  more  of  orthoepy  and 
orthography  than  a  Canadian  Nun.  However,  Maria  Monk 
attests,  that  the  Priests  to  whom  she  refers  did  reside  at  those 
places  which  she  has  de^ignated,  and  that  she  has  seen  them  all 
in  the  Hotel  Dieu  Nunnery — some  of  them  very  often,  and 
others  on  a  variety  of  occasi«ms. 

Nothing  is  more  improbable,  if  not  impossible,  than  that  any 
Papist  girl  should  have  such  an  extensive  acquaintance  among 
Roman  Priests.  In  Canada  especially,  where  the  large  majority 
of  females  liave  little  more  correct  knowledge  of  that  which 
occurs  out  of  their  own  district  than  of  HerscheVs  astronomical 
discoveries,  young  women  cannot  be  personally  familiar  with 
any  Priests,  in  ordinary  cases,  except  those  who  may  have  been 
"  Cur6s  "  of  the  parish  in  which  they  reside,  or  of  the  immedi- 
ate vicinity,  or  an  occasional  visitor  durinc  the  absence,  or  sick- 
ness, or  death  of  the  resident  Curate  or  Missionary.  Notwith- 
Bbmding,  Maria  Monk  delineates  to  the  life,  the  prominent  fea- 
tures, the  exact  figure,  and  the  obvious  characteristic  exterior 
habits  and  personal  appearance  of  more  than  one  hundred  and 
fifty  of  those  Priests,  scattered  about  in  all  parts  of  Canada. 
Among  others  she  particularly  specifies  the  following  men :  but 
Bome  of  whom  she  notes  as  dead.    Others  she  has  named,  bat 


I 


;l.l        (li. 


216 


REVIEW     OF    THE     WHOLE     SUBJECT. 


as  her  recollections  of  them  are  less  distinct,  they  are  not 
euumerated. 

Jean  Jacques  Lnrtigiie,  Bishop  of  Tehnese,  Montreal.  Tiio 
Irish  Priest  McMaiiou,  who  has  resided  both  in  Montreal  and 
Quebec.  M.  Dufreene,  St.  Nicholas.  L.  Cadieux,  Vicar  General, 
Three  R'vers.  F.  F.  Marcoux,  Maskinonge.  S.  K  Dumoulin, 
Yamaciiiche.  A.  Leclerc,  Yomaska.  V.  Fournier,  Bale  du 
Febre.  J.  Demers,  St.  Gregoire.  0.  B.  Oourtain,  Gentilly. 
T.  Pepin,  St.  Jean.  Ignace  Bourget,  Montreal.  The  Priest 
Moor,  Missionary.  J.  0.  Prince,  Montreal.  J.  M.  Sauvage, 
Montreal.  J.  Comte,  Montreal.  J.  H.  A.  Koux,  Vicar  General, 
Montreal.  J.  Roque,  Montreal.  A.  Malard,  Montreal.  A.  L. 
Hubart,  Montreal.  A,  Satin,  Montreal.  J.  B.  Roupe,  Montreal. 
Nic.  Dufresne,  Montreal.  J.  Richard,  Montreal.  0.  Fay,  Mon- 
treal. J.  B.  St.  Piene,  Montreal.  F.  Bonin,  P.. Phelan,  Mon- 
treal. T.  B.  M'Mahon,  Perce.  J.  Marcoux,  Oa'ghnawaga. 
0.  De  Bellefeuille,  Lake  of  two  Mountains.  Claude  Leonard, 
Montreal.  F.  Durocher,  Lake  of  two  Mountains.  G.  Belmont, 
St.  Francis.  F.  Demers,  Vicar  General,  St.  Denis.  J.  O.  Giroux, 
St.  Bei^>it.  J.  B.  St.  Germain,  St.  Laurent.  J.  D.  Delisle,  St. 
Cesaire.  J.  M.  Lefebvre,  St.  Genevieve.  F.  Pigeon,  St.  Philippe. 
A.  Duransau,  Lachine.  O.  Olievrefils,  St.  Constant.  Joseph 
Quiblier,  Montreal.  Francis  Humbert,  Montreal.  J.  Arraud, 
Montreal.  O.  Archambault,  Montreal.  J.  Larkin,  Montreal. 
F.  Sery,  Montreal.  R.  Larre,  Montreal.  A.  Macdonald,  Mon- 
treal. F.  Larkin,  Montreal.  J.  Beauregard,  Montreal.  R.  Rob- 
ert, Montreal.  J.  Fitz  Patrick,  Montreal.  J.  Toupin,  Montreal. 
W.  Baun,  Montreal.  T.  Filiatreault,  Montreal.  J.  Brady,  Mon- 
treal. P.  Trudel,  St.  Hyacinth.  John  Grant,  St.  Hyacinth. 
J.  Delaire,  Chambly.  J.  Desautels,  Charably.  P.  D.  Ricard, 
St.  Joachim.  Jan.  Leclaire,  Tsle  Jesus.  F.  M.  Turcot,  St.  Rose. 
C.  Larocque,  Berthier,  T.  Brassard,  St.  Elizabeth.  J.  B.  Keller, 
St.  Elizabeth.  J.  Ravienne,  Lanorate.  J.  T.  Gagno,  Valtrie. 
Gasford  Guinguer,  St.  Melanie.  L.  Nicholas  Jacques,  St.  Sulpice. 
J.  Renucalde,  St.  Jaques.  T.  Can,  St.  Esprit.  0.  J.  Ducharme, 
St.  Therese.  J.  Valli6e,  St.  Scholastique.  J.  J.  Vinet,  Argan- 
teuil.  M.  Power,  Beauharnois.  J.  B.  Labelle,  Chateauguay. 
is.  Bietz,  St.  Constant.  P.  Bedard,  St.  Rem!.  0.  Aubry,  St. 
Athanase.  L.  Vinet,  Noyon.  J.  Roque,  Noyon.  J.  Zeph, 
Carren.     F.  Berauld,  St.  Valentia.     A.  Maresseau,  Longneuil. 

P.  Brunet, .    J.  Odelin,  Rounilli.    J.  B.  Dupnis, . 

L.  Nan,  Rouville.    A.  O.  Giroux,  St.  Marc.    G.  Marchesseau, 

.    J.  B.  Belanger,  St.  Ours.    H.  Marcotte,  Isle  du  Pads. 

E.  Crevier,  Yamaska.    G.  Arsonault, .    Eusebe  Durocher, 


D.  Deals,  St.  Rosalie.  F.  X.  Brunet,  St.  Dainase.  J.  A. 
Boisond,  St.  Pie.  M.  Quintal,  St.  Damase.  L.  Aubry,  Points 
Oalire.    P.  Tetro,  Beauharnois.    B.  Ricard,  St.  Constant.    M. 


REVIEW     OF     THE     WHOLE     SUBJECT. 


217 


liii 


1 


irorli),  M.'iskouclie.  J.  Crevier,  Blairfindie.  P.  Orenier,  Clm- 
teauguay.  A.  Diii-oclior,  Pointe  aux  Trembles.  P.  Murcure,  La 
Presentation.  It.  Gaulin,  Dorcliester.  II.  L.  Gironard,  St.  Ilya- 
cinthe.  J,  Paqnin,  Blairfinde.  E.  Brassard,  St.  Polycarpe. 
J.  Boii^sonnanlt,  Riviere  dos  Prairies.  F.  N.  Blanclict,  Soiilanges. 
E.  Lavoio,  Blairiindie.  J.  B.  Kelly,  Sorel.  E.  Morriset,  St. 
Cyprian.  II.  Hudon,  Argenteuil.  M.  Brudet,  St.  ?tlartin.  P.  P. 
Arcliambault,  Vaudreuil.  J.  B.  Bouclier,  La  Prairie.  J.  Qiie- 
villlon,  St.  Ours.  A.  Chaboillez,  Longueuil.  P.  J.  Delaniothe, 
St.  Scliolastiqne.  T.  Lagard,  St.  Vincent.  J.  Durocher,  St. 
Benoit.  Antoine  Tabeau,  Vicar  General,  Montreal.  J.  F. 
Hebard,  St.  Ours.  F.  A.  Trudean,  Montreal.  M.  J.  Felix,  St. 
Benoit.  L.  Lamothe,  Bethier.  J.  Moirier,  St.  Anne.  F.  J. 
Dcgnisc,  Vicar  General,  Varennes.  J.  B.  Bedard,  St.  Denis. 
R,  O.  Brunsau,  Vercheres.  F.  Portier,  Terrebonne.  P.  D. 
Ivicard,  Bertijier.  L.  Gagne,  Lacheuaie.  Joseph  Belanger, 
Ohainbly.  M.  Blanchet,  St.  Charles.  P.  M.  Mignanit,  Chara- 
bly.  F.  Labelle,  L'Assumption.  F.  Marcoux,  St.  Barthelemi. 
N.  L.  Amiot,  Repentigny.  J.  B.  Boucher,  Chambly.  P. 
Lafranc,  St.  Jean  Baptiste.  P.  Robitaille,  Monnie.  F.  De  Bel- 
lefeuille,  St.  Vincent.  M.  Brassard,  St.  Elizabeth.  P.  Oousigny, 
St.  Mathias.    J.  D.  Daule,  Quebec. 

It  is  readily  admitted,  that  any  person  could  take  one  of  tho 
Eclesiastical  Registers  of  Lower  Canada,  and  at  his  option 
mark  any  number  of  the  Roman  Priests  in  the  catalogue,  and 
impute  to  them  anj'  crime  which  he  pleased.  But  if  the  accu- 
ser were  closely  examined,  and  among  such  a  multitude  of 
Priests,  who  in  all  their  clothing  are  dressed  alike,  were  called 
upon  minutely  to  delineate  them,  it  is  morally  impossible,  that 
he  could  depict  more  than  a.  hundred  Priests  dispersed  from  the 
borders  of  Upper  Canada  to  Quebec,  in  as  many  diflferent 
parishes,  with  the  most  perfect  aciferacy,  unless  he  was  per- 
sonally and  well  acquainted  with  them. 

Maria  Monk,  however,  does  most  accurately  describe  all  the 
Priests  in  ffte  preceding  catalogiife,  and  repeats  them  at  the 
expiration  of  weeks  and  months ;  and  the  question  is  this :  how 
is  it  possible  that  she  could  have  become  acquainted  with  so 
many  of  that  body,  and  by  what  means  can  she  so  precisely 
depict  their  external  appearance  ? — The  startling,  but  the  only 
plausible  answer  which  can  be  given  to  that  question  is  this ; — 
that  she  has  seen  them  in  the  Nunnery,  whither,  as  she  main- 
tains,, most  of  them  constantly  resorted  for  licentious  inter- 
course with  the  Nuns. 

One  other  connected  fact  may  here  be  introduced.  Maria 
Monk  well  knows  the  Lady  Superior  of  the  Charlestown  Nun- 
nery. That  acquaintance  could  not  have  been  made  in  the 
United  Statea,  because  Saint  Mary  St.  George  as  she  called  hep- 

10 


if 


i?:!.;-' 


I  1'  1 1 


;1^ 


218 


REVIEW     OF     THE     WHOLE     SUBJECT 


self,  or  Sarali  Bnrronglis,  dangliter  of  the  notorious  Stephen 
Biirnnigbs,  as  is  her  real  name,  removed  to  Canada  at  tlie  latter 
end  of  aMuy,  1835;  nor  couhl  it  iiave  been  prior  to  the  estahli.«-li- 
nient  of  the  Cliarlestown  Nunnery,  for  at  that  i)eriod  Maria 
Monk  was  u  cliihl,  and  was  not  in  any  Convent  except  merely 
as  a  schohir;  and  Mary  St.  George  was  at  Quebec,  llow  then 
did  she  become  so  familiar  with  that  far-famed  lady  as  to  be 
able  to  \lescribe  her  so  exactly?  The  only  answer  is,  that  she 
derived  her  knowledge  of  the  Cliarlestown  Convent  and  of  its 
Superior,  from  the  intimatioris  given,  and  from  intercourse  with 
that  Nun  in  the  Hotel  Dieu  Nunnery. 

Young  females  often  have  been  sent  to  the  Nunneries  in 
Canada  under  the  fallacious  hope  of  obtaining  for  tiiem  a  supe- 
rior education ;  and  very  frequently,  they  are  suddenly  removed 
after  being  there  but  a  short  period;  because  the  persons  to 
whose  partial  j^aardianship  they  are  committed  perceive  that 
they  are  in  danger  of  being  ensnared  by  the  Chaplain  and  his 
female  Syrens. 

But  there  are  two  otlier  particulars  in  American  Nunneries, 
the  toleration  of  which  almost  surpasses  credibility. 

In  reference  to  girls,  they  are  permitted  to  visit  their  friends, 
even  when  they  reside  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Convent,  only  for 
an  hour  or  two  monthly — if  their  relatives  are  at  a  distance, 
they  see  them  only  during  the  annual  vacation,  and  often  remain 
in  the  Nunnery  during  that  term.  No  correspondence  is  per- 
mitted between  the  mother,  the  guardian,  the  sister,  or  the 
frieids  of  the  young  female  in  the  Nunnery  School,  on  either 
side,  without  the  inspection  of  the  argus-eyed  agent  of  the 
Institution.  Parental  advice,  filial  complaints,  and  confidential 
communications  are  equally  arrested ;  and  only  furnish  to  the 
Superiors  of  the  establishment,  artifices  to  thwart  the  Seniors, 
to  entangle  the  Juniors,  tf  d  effectually  to  cajole  both  parties. 
Consequently,  it  generally  happens,  that  from  one  term  to 
another,  little  or  no  intercourse  exists  between  the  youth  and 
her  relatives ;  and  it  is  indubitable,  that  where  ttky  letters  do 
nominally  pass  between  them,  they  are  forgeries  j  the  real  letters 
being  surreptitiously  detained.  Those  felonious  regulations  fur- 
nish ample  scope  for  the  initiation  of  girls  just  entering  upon 
■womanhood,  into  all  the  wickedness  of  the  Nunnery ;  while  the 
girls  thetnselves  are  unconscious  of  the  design,  and  the  Nuns, 
those  nefarious  artificers  of  the  iniquity,  in  subserviency  to  the 
Priests,  in  case  of  necessity,  can  Exculpate  themselves  apparently 
from  all  participation  in  tlie  treachery  and  crimes. 

In  the  nunneries  and  conventual  schools  in  the  United  States 
there  is  a  sort  of  fairy  land,  talked  about  by  the  nuns  to  the 
elder  girls.  It  is  called  the  "Nuns'  Island."  That  country  is 
always  described  as  an  earthly  paradise ;  and  to  girls  who  are 


ainnenes, 


REVIEW     OF     THE     WHOLE     SUBJECT, 


219 


ninnifestly  fascinated  by  the  witclieries  of  the  nuns,  and  in 
•whom  moral  sensibility  has  become  blunted  by  the  unmeaning 
superstitions  wliich  the}'  witness,  and  Avhich  they  mechanically 
perform,  a  visit  to  the  "Nuns' Island,"  is  always  proposed  as 
the  greatest  iirivilege,  and  the  most  costly  reward,  which  can 
be  given  for  constant  obsequiousness  to  the  nuns,  and  unre- 
served compliance  with  tJjeir  requirements.  The  term  "  Nuns- 
Island,"  is  thus  used  to  express  the  nunneries  in  Canada,  and 
probably  some  similar  institutions  in  the  United  States,  where 
they  are  not  too  dltficult  of  access.  At  all  events,  girls  just 
entering  upon  the  character  of  women,  after  proper  training,  are 
finally  gratified  with  a  visit  to  the  "  Nuns' Island."  They  are 
taken  to  Montreal,  and  in  the  nunneries  there  are  at  onco 
taught  "the  mystery  of  iniquity;"  in  all  the  living  reality  which 
Maria  Monk  describes.  Those  girls  from  the  United  States, 
who  are  represented  as  novices;  in  Maria  Monk's  "Awful 
Disclosures,"  were  young  ladies  from  the  United  States,  who 
had  been  decoyed  to  visit  the  "  Nuns'  Island,"  and  who,  not 
being  Papists,  often  were  found  very  intractable ;  but  pos- 
terior circumstances  enforce  the  belief,  that  having  found  resis- 
tance vain,  they  liad  not  returned  to  their  school  %re  they 
were  duly  qualified  to  continue  the  course  into  which  they  had 
been  coerced,  so  as  fully  to  elude  all  possibility  of  discovery  and 
exposure.  That  mother  who  intrusts  her  daughter  to  a  nun- 
nery school,  is  chargeable  with  the  high  crime  of  openly  con- 
ducting her  into  the  chambers  of  pollution,  and  the  path  to  irre- 
ligion,  and  the  bottomless  pit. 

These  combined  circumstances  satisfactorily  prove  that  the 
narrative  of  Maria  Monk  should  be  believed  by  all  impartial  per- 
sons ;  at  least,  until  other  evidence  can  be  adduced,  and  the  ofifer 
of  exploring  the  Hotel  Dieu  Nunnery,  by  tiie  New  York  Pro- 
testant Association,  has  been  acceptA  and  decided. 

3.  Additional  evidence  of  the  truth  of  Maria  Monk's  narrative 
is  deduced  from  the  exact  conformity  of  the  facts  which  she  states 
concerning  4le  Hotel  Dieu  NunnS^^  when  compared  with  the 
authoritative  principles  of  the  Jesuit  Priesthood  as  recorded 
in  their  own  duly  sanctioned  volumes.  It  is  essential  to  remark, 
that  of  those  books  she  knows  nothing;  that  she  has  never 
seen  one  of  them,  and  if  she  could  grasp  them,  that  they  would 
impart  no  illumination  to  her  mind,  being  in  Latin ;  and  yet  in 
many  momentous  particulars,  neither  Lartigue  nor  any  one  of 
the  Jesuit  Priests  now  in  Montreal,  who  was  educated  in 
France,  could  more  minutely  and  accurately  furnish  an  expo- 
sition or  practical  illustratiim  of  the  atrocious  themes,  than 
Maria  Monk  has  unconsciously  done. 

Maria  Mt)nk'8  "  Awful  Disclosures,"  are  reducible  to  three 
classes:    intolerable  sensuality;   diversified  murder;  and  most 


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220 


REVIEW      0  I'     T  II  K     WHOLE     SUBJECT 


scandalous  inc ndaeify ;  ooinprelicndiiig  flagrant,  and  obdurate, 
and  nncea^iiig  vj(»]ati()ns  of  tljo  sixth,  isevunth,  and  ninth  coin- 
mandiiicnts. 

llie  ninth  commKidment :  Falsehood.  Of  this  baseness, 
five  specimens  only  nliall  siifKoe. 

Sanchez^  a  very  renowned  author,  in  Ins  work  on  "  Morality 
and  tiie  Precepts  of  the  Decalogue,"  part  2,  book  3,  chap.  6,  no. 
13,  thus  decides:  "A  person  may  take  an  oath  that  he  has  not 
done  any  certain  thing,  though  in  fact  he  has.  This  is  extremely 
convenient,  and  is  also  very  just,  when  necessary  to  your  hcaltii, 
honour,  and  prosperity!"  Charli,  in  his  Propositions,  no.  6, 
affirms  that,  "  He  who  is  not  bound  to  state  the  truth  before 
swearing,  is  not  bound  by  his  oath."  Taberna  in  his  vol.  2, 
part  2,  tract  2,  chap.  31,  p.  288,  asks:  "Is  a  -witness  bound  to 
declare  the  truth  before  a  lawlul  judge  ?"  To  which  he  replies  : 
"  No,  if  his  deposition  will  injure  himself  or  his  posterity."  Lay- 
mann^  in  his  works,  book  4,  tract  2,  chop.  2,  p.  73,  proclaims : 
'•  It  is  not  sufficient  for  an  oath,  that  we  use  the  formal  words, 
if  we  had  not  the  intention  and  will  to  swear,  and  do  not  sin- 
cerely ifivoke  God  as  a  witness."  All  those  principles  are  sanc- 
tioned by  Stiarez  in  his  "  Precepts  of  Law,"  book  3,  chap.  9, 
assertion  2,  p.  473,  where  he  says,  "  If  any  one  has  promised  or 
contracted  without  intention  to  promise,  and  is  called  upon  oath 
to  answer,  may  simply  answer,  no  ;  and  may  swear  to  that 
denial." 

Tiie  idea  of  obtaining  truth,  therefore,  from  a  thorough-going 
Papist,  upon  any  subject  in  which  his  "  AowoMr,"  is  concerned — 
and  every  Papist's  honour  is  indissolubly  conjoined  with  ''  the 
Church" — is  an  absurdity  so  great,  that  it  cannot  be  listened  to 
with  patience,  while  the  above  decisions  are  the  authorised  dog- 
mas which  the  Roman  Priests  inculcate  among  their  followers. 
How  well  the  nuns  of  Mcmtreal  have  imbibed  those  Jesuitical 
instructions,  Maria  Monk's  "  Awful  Disclosures"  amply  reveal. 

The  Sixth  Commandment:  Murder.  The  following  mis- 
cellaneous decisions  are  extracted  from  the  work^f  the  regu- 
larly sanctioned  Roman  authors,  of  the  very  highest  character 
and  rank  in  that  community. 

In  his  famous  volume  called  "  Aphorisms,"  p.  178,  Emman- 
uel Sa  writes — "  You  may  kill  any  person  who  may  be  able  to 
put  you  to  death — judge  and  witnesses — because  it  is  self-de- 
fence." 

Henriquez,  in  his  "  Sum  of  Moral  Theology,"  vol.  1,  book  14, 
chap.  10,  p,  859,  decides  that  "  a  Priest  is  not  criminal,  if  he  kill 
the  husband  of  a  woman  with  whom  he  is  caught  in  adultery." 

Airault  published  a  number  of  propositions.  One  of  them 
says,  that  "  a  person  may  secretly  kill  another  who  attempts  to 
destroy  his  reputation,  although  the  facts  are  true  Avhich  he  pub- 


REVIEW     OF     THE     WHOLE     SUBJECT 


221 


lished."  The  following  must  he  cited  in  Lntin.  "  An  licitnm 
sit  mulieri  ])rocnrare  al)ortum  ?  Posset  ilium  exciitere,  no  lio- 
noreni  suuni  amittat,  qui  illi  multo  pretiosior  est  ipsa  vita." 
"An  liceat  mulieri  conjugatCB  sumero  pharnuicum  sterilitutis? 
Ita  satius  est  ut  hoc  faciat,  quam  ut  marito  debituni  conjiigalo 
recuset."     Censures  319,  322,  327. 

In  his  Moral  Theology,  vol.  4,  book  32,  sec.  2,  problem  5, 
Eicohar  determines,  that  "  it  is  lawful  to  kill  an  accuser  Avhose 
testimony  may  jeopard  your  life  and  honour." 

Guimeniua  promulged 'his  seventh  Proposition  in  these  words: 
"  You  may  charge  your  opponent  with  false  crimes  to  destroy 
his  credit;  and  you  may  also  kill  him." 

Marin  wrote  a  book  called  ''  Speculative  and  Moral  Tlie- 
ology.'  In  vol.  3,  tract  23,  disputation  8,  sec.  6,  no.  63,  p.  448, 
are  found  the  fallowing  sentences  :  "  Licet  procurare  abortum, 
ne  puella  infametur."  That  doctrine  is  admitted,  "  to  evade 
personal  disgrace,  and  to  conceal  the  infamy  of  Monks  and 
Ifuns.'^  No.  67,  p.  429.  In  no.  75,  p.  430,  of  the  same  work, 
Marin  writes:  "  Navarrus,  Arragon,  Bannez,  Henriquez,  Sii, 
Sanchez,  Palao,  and  others,  all  say,  that  a  woman  may  use 
not  only  missione  sanguinis,  sed  aliis  medicamentis,  etsi  inde 
pereat  foetus."  With  that  doctrine  also  agrees  Bgidiua,  in  his 
"ExpUcation  of  the  Decalogue,"  vol.  5,  book  5,  chap.  1,  doubt 
4 ;  and  Diana  in  his  work  upon  Morality,  part  6,  tract  8,  resolu- 
tion 27,  fully  ratifies  his  sanction. 

Goiatus  published  a  work  which  he  entitled,  "Morality,"  and 
in  vol.  2,  part  2,  tract  5,  chap.  9,  sec.  8,  p.  318,  is  the  following 
edifying  specimen  of  Popish  morals :  "  Persons  may  inno- 
cently desire  to  be  drunk,  if  any  great  good  will  arise  from  it.  A 
son  wlio  inherits  wealth  by  his  father's  death,  mny  rejoice  that 
when  he  is  intoxicated,  he  murdered  his  father."  According 
to  which  combined  propositions,  a  man  may  make  himself  drunk 
expressly  to  kill  his  parent,  and  yet  be  guiltless. 

Busenhaum  wrote  a  work  denominated  "  Moral  Theology." 
which  was  enlarged  and  explained  by  Lacroix.  In  vol.  1,  p. 
295,  is  the  following  position :  "  Jn  all  the  cases  whero  a  man 
has  a  right  to  kill  any  person,  another  may  do  it  ioY  him."  But 
we  have  already  heard  by  Escobar  that  any  Roman  Priest  has 
a  right  to  kill  Maria  Monk  ;  and  therefore  any  Papist  may  nmr- 
der  her  for  them. 

Alagona,  in  his  "  Compend  of  the  Sum  of  Theology,"  by 
Thomas  Aquinas,  question  94,  p.  230,  "  Sums"  up  all  the 
Romish  system  in  this  comprehensively  blasphemous  oracular 
adage.  "  By  the  command  of  God,  it  is  laufxil  to  murder  the 
innocent,  to  rob,  and  to  commit  lewdness  ;  and  thus  to  fulfil  hia 
mandate,  is  our  duty^ 

27ie  seventh  commandment. — In  his  Aphorisms,  p.  80,  and' 


m 


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222 


REVIEW  OF  THE  WHOLE  SUBJECT. 


p.  259,  <Sy(  tliiis  decides--"  Copulari  ante  benedictionem,  aut 
iiiiUuiii  ;ui!  leve  pecM-utiiin  est;  quin  etiam  expedit,  si  inultum 
iilii  ditl't  ratiir." — "Potest  et  feiiiiiia  qnajque  et  mas,  pro  turpi 
corporis  iisu,  pit'timn,  ncclpere  et  petere." 

Uurtado  issued  a  volume  of  "Disputations  and  Difficulties." 
At  p.  47G  is  tile  following  genuine  Popisii  rule  of  life — "  Car- 
nal intercourse  before  marriage  is  not  unlawful."  So  teaches 
that  Jesuit  oracle. 

Dicastillo^  in  his  work  upon  "Righteousness  and  other  c;i.r- 
dinal  Virtues,'  p.  87,  thus  asks — "  An  puella,  qua)  per  vin  oppri- 
mitur  teneatur  claniare  et  openi  iinplorare  ne  violetur  ?"  Tlie 
answer  is  this — '  Non  videtnr  teneri  iinpedire  peccatum  alterius 
— sed  mere  passive  se  habere." 

Escobar,  in  iiis  "Moral  Theology,"  p.  326,  327,  328,  of  vol. 
4,  determines  that  "  a  man  who  abducts  a  woman  from  affec- 
tion expressly  to  marry  her,  is  guilty  of  mortal  sin,  but  a  Priest 
who  forcibly  violates  her  through  lust,  incurs  no  censure." 

Tamhurin  unfolds  tlie  character  of  Romanism  in  his  "  Moral 
Theology,"  p.  186,  in  a  lengthened  discussion  of  the  following 
characteristic  inquiry — "  Quantum  pro  usu  corporis  sui  juste 
exigat  mulicr  ?" — The  reply  is,  "  de  meretrice  et  de  femina  hon- 
esta  sive  conjugata,  aut  non." 

Fegeli  wrote  a  book  of  "  Practical  Questions ;"  and  on  p.  397, 
is  the  following — "  Under  what  obligation  is  he  who  defiles  a 
virgin?" — Tiie  answer  is  this — "Besides  the  obligation  of  pen- 
ance, he  incurs  none ;  quia  xmella  habet  jus  usuui  sui  corporis 
concedendi." 

Truci^a,la  published  a  volume  which  he  facetiously  entitled  the 
"  Laver  of  Conscience ;"  and  at  p.  96,  he  presents  us  with  this 
astounding  recipe  to  purify  the  conccience — "An  Ooncubinarius 
sit  absolvendus  antequam  concubinam  dimittat?"  To  which  he 
replies — "  Si  ilia  concubina  sit  valde  bona  et  utilis  economa,  et 
sic  nuUam  aliani  possit  habere,  esset  absolvendus." 

From  the  prior  decisions,  combined  with  numberless  others 
which  might  be  extracted  from  the  works  of  the  Romish  authors, 
it  is  obvious,  that  the  violations  of  the  seventh  commandment, 
arfe  scarcely  enumerated  by  the  Papal  priesthood  among  venial 
gins.  Especially  if  we  consider  the  definition  of  a  prostitute  by 
the  highest  Popish  authority:  for  in  the  Decretals,  Distinction  34, 
in  the  Gloss,  is  found  this  savory  adiige — "Meretrix  est  qua),  ad- 
niiserit  pluresquam  viginti  tria  hominum  millia!*'  That  is  the 
infallible  attestation  to  the  tru^h  of  Maria  Monk's  "  Awful  Dis- 
closures. 

4.  Tlie  antecedent  narrative  of  the  Hotel  Dieu  Nunnery,  is 
confirmed  by  the  universal  and  constant  practice  of  Roman 
Priests  in  all  Convents.  Among  the  works  of  William  Hunting- 
ton, is  a  correspondence  between  himself  and  a  young  lady  who 


REVIEW     OF     THE     WHOLE     SUBJECT. 


223 


i  !l(|il     'I 


et 


was  converted  by  liis  ministry.    The  seventh  letter  from  Miss  M. 
contains  the  lollowinf?  passage: — 

''  It  is  a  shame  for  icomeii  to  approach  those  confessionals.  If 
they  Mere  never  wi.-;e  in  scenes  of  iniquity  before,  the  ])riest 
uill  in>triict  them,  by  asking  the  most  tihliy  questions.  I  was 
confiiK'd  to  my  bed  three  days  from  my  lirst  confession ;  and 
thougiit  I  would  never  go  again,  being  so  abashed  l)y  the  abom- 
inations be  liad  put  in  my  liead.  I  would  just  as  soon  recom- 
mend scahling  water  to  cure  Antliony's-fire,  or  a  wet  be<l  in  an 
ice-lionse  to  cure  an  ague,  as  recommend  a  sinner  to  tliose  ac- 
cursed lies,  Roman  penance,  and  Auricular  Confessiim." — The 
mental  ])urity  of  Nuns  consists  in  a  life  totally  ''  contrary  to  the 
laws  of  God,  of  modesty,  of  decency.  Tliey  are  constantly  ex- 
posed to  the  obscene  interrogations,  and  the  lewd  actions  of  the 
Priests.  Notwithstanding  God  lias  fixed  a  bar  on  every  female 
mind,  it  is  broken  through  by  the  Priests  ))Utting  questions  to 
them  upon  those  subjects,  as  tiie  scripture  declares,  which  ought 
not  to  be  named?  The  nncommon  attractions  of  the  young 
women  in  Convents  generally  indicate  the  greatest  unchastity 
among  them.  I  have  known  girls,  sent  for  education  to  the 
Convent  where  I  was,  who  regularly  stripped  themselves  of 
every  thing  they  could  obtain  from  their  friends ;  which,  by  the 
artful  insinuations  of  the  Nuns,  was  given  to  them  and  the 
Priests.  The  Roman  priestiiood  may  well  be  called  a  sorceress, 
and  their  doctrine  '  the  wine  of  fornication,'  for  nothing  but  the 
powers  of  darkness  could  work  up  the  young  female  mind  to  re- 
ceive it ;  unless  by  the  subtlety  of  the  devil,  and  the  vile  artifices 
of  the  Nuns.  I  shudder  at  the  idea  of  young  ladies  going  into  a 
Convent;  and  also  at  i)arents  who  send  their  children  to  be  edu- 
cated in  a  Nunnery ;  where  their  daughters  are  entrapped  by 
the  Nuns  into  the  enare  of  the  Priests,  with  whom  they  are 
accomplices,  and  for  whom  the  most  subtle  of  them  are  decoys, 
who^e  feigned  sanctity  is  only  a  cover  for  tbe  satajiic  arts  of 
whicii  they  are  complete  mistresses,  and  by  which,  through  the 
delusions  of  the  mother  of  harlots,  being  buried  alive  within  the 
wails  of  a  Convent,  they  'drink  of  the  wine  of  her  fornication,' 
until  their  souls  pass  into  the  pit  of  destr"ction." — The  above 
extract  is  from  the  seventii  letter  of  "  Correspondence  between 
Miss  M.  and  Mr.  II."  in  Huntington's  Works;  and  ex[)Ose3  the 
Nunneries  in  France. 

George  D.  Emeline,  who  had  been  a  Popish  Priest,  in  hii 
"Eight  Letters,"  giving  an  account  of  his  "  Journey  into  Italy," 
thus  details  the  nature  of  the  intimacy  which  then  existed  bet- 
ween the  Priests  and  Nuns  on  the  European  Continent.  "  A 
young  Monk  at  Milan,  Preacher  to  the  Benedictine  Nuns,  when 
he  addressed  them,  added  to  almost  every  sentence  in  his  dis- 
course, '  my  most  dear  and  lovely  sisters,  whom  I  love  th)m  the 


i 


ill!  I 


;V!i:!ii 


H 


,i;.,:, 


224 


REVIEW  or  THE  WHOLE  SUBJECT. 


i 


deepest  bottom  of  my  heart.'  When  a  monk  becomes  Preacher 
or  Cliaplain  to  a  Nunner}',  his  days  are  passed  in  constant  vol- 
uptuousness;  for  the  Nuns  will  gratify  their  Confessor  in  every 
thing,  that  he  may  be  equally  indulgent  to  them."  Emeline's 
Letters,  p.  313. 

"  A  regular  Abbot  of  a  Monastery  in  Italy,  talking  witk  mo 
said — '  Melius  est  habere  nullum  quam  aliquem — It  is  better  to 
have  none  than  any  woman.'  I  asked  him  what  he  meant;  ho 
rei)lietl,  '  Because,  when  a  person  is  not  tied  to  one,  he  may  make 
use  of  many ;'  and  his  practice  was  conformable  to  his  doctrine ; 
for  he  slept  in  the  same  bed  with  three  young  women  every 
night.  He  was  a  most  insatiable  Exactor  and  Oppressor  of  tho 
people  who  rented  the  lands  of  the  Abbey,  in  consequence  of 
which  tho  Farmers  complained  of  him  to  the  Archbishop  of  the 
District.  The  Archbishop  sent  the  Provost,  the  Farmers,  and 
sixty  of  the  Serjeants  at  night,  to  seize  him  and  his  female  com- 
panions. They  took  the  Abbot  in  bed,  and  having  put  on  him  a 
morning-gown ;  and  having  tied  his  three  concubines  and  him- 
self back  to  back,  placed  them  in  a  cart,  and  conducted  them  to 
the  Archbishop's  residence,  in  Bonnonia :  who  then  refused  to 
judge  him ;  but  sent  him  and  his  females  to  the  Monastery  of 
8aint  Michael;  into  which,  with  some  difficulty, he  was  admitted 
after  midnight,  in  consequence  of  the  Provost  assuring  the  Friars, 
that  if  they  would  not  receive  the  Abbot,  they  would  procure 
his  prelatical  dress,  and  escort  him  and  the  young  women  in 
procession  through  the  city,  and  back  to  his  own  Monastery  tho 
same  day  at  noon.  The  females  were  ordered  away,  and  the 
Abbot  was  appointed  to  remain  in  his  monastery  for  Hfteen  days 
for  penance,  until  the  story  had  ceased  to  circulate.  I  was  an 
eyewitness  of  that  myself,  when  I  was  in  the  Monastery  of  St. 
Michael  in  the  wood." — ^Emeline's  Letters,  pp.  887,  888,  889. 

That  the  Nunneries  in  Portugal,  as  well  as  among  those  peo- 
ple in  India  who  are  subject  to  the  Bomish  priesthood,  are  of 
the  same  character  precisely,  as  Maria  Monk  describes  the  Priests 
and  Nuns  in  Canada,  is  proved  by  Yictorin  de  Faria,  who  had 
been  a  Brahman  in  India;  and  who  afterward  resided  as  a 
regular  *Roman  Priest  in  the  Paulist  Monastery  at  Lisbon. 

"The  regular  Priests  in  India,"  says  Faria,  "have  becorao 
what  the  bonzes  where  in  Japan.  The  Nuns  were  the  disciples 
of  Diana,  and  the  nunneries  seraglios  for  the  monks ;  as  I  have 
proved  to  be  the  case  in  Lisbon,  by  facts  concerning  those  nuns 
who  were  more  often  in  the  family  way  than  common  women. 
The  Jesuits  in  the  Indies  made  themselves  Brahmans  in  order  to 
enjoy  the  privileges  of  that  caste,  whose  idolatrous  rites  and 
superstitious  practices  they  also  externally  adopted." — Among 
other  privileges  which  they  possessed,  Faria  enumerates  the 
following,  as  detailed  from  his  own  prior  experience  as  a  Br^h- 


REVIEW     OP    THE     WHOLE     SUBJECT, 


225 


man.  "  Never  to  be  put  to  death  for  any  crime  wlintover ;  and 
to  enjoy  the  favours  of  every  woman  who  pleased  tliem,  for  a 
Friest  sanctities  the  woman  upon  whom  lie  bestows  his  atten- 
tions." Tliat  is  tlie  true  Papist  doctrine,  as  sliown  by  Miiria 
Monk's  "  Awful  Disck>sures ;"  contirmed  by  the  Canadian  car- 
penter in  Mr.  Jolmson's  house  at  Montreal ;  and  ratified  by  Pope 
Gregory  XIII.  in  tlie  Decretals  and  Canons,  in  the  Corpus  Juris 
Canonici.  Secrets  of  Nunneries  disclosed  by  Scipio  de  Ricci. 
p.  217. 

The  Nunneries  in  Italy  during  the  present  generation  are  of 
the  same  description.  Maria  Catharine  Barni,  Maria  Magdalen 
Sicini,  and  Vicioire  Benedetti,  of  the  Nunnery  called.  Santa 
Croce;  all  acknowledged,  that  they  had  been  seduced  at  confes- 
sion, and  that  they  had  habitually  maintained  criminal  inter- 
course with  a  Priest  called  Pacchiani,  who  absolved  his  guilty 
companions  after  the  commission  of  their  crimes.  Secrets  of 
Nunneries  disclosed  by  Scipio  de  Ricci.  pp.  60,  01. 

Six  Nuns  of  the  Convent  of  Catharine  at  Pistoia  declared  that 
the  Priests  who  visited  the  Convent  committed  a  "  thousand  in- 
decorous actSi  They  utter  the  worst  expressions,  saying  that 
we  should  look  upon  it  as  a  great  happiness,  that  we  have  the 
power  of  satisfying  our  appetites  without  the  annoyance  of 
children  ;  and  that  we  should  not  hesitate  to  take  our  pleasures. 
Men,  who  have  contrived  to  get  the  keys,  come  into  the  Con- 
vent during  the  night,  which  they  have  spent  in  the  most  dissi- 
pated manner."  That  is  the  precise  delineation  of  the  Canadian 
Nunneries;  into  which  other  men  besides  Priests  are  admitted, 
if  the  parties  are  willing  to  pay  the  entrance  bribe  to  the  Chap-- 
lain. — Secrets  of  Nunneries,  by  Scipio  de  Ricci.  pp.  80,  81. 

Flavia  Perraccini,  Prioress  of  the  Nunnery  of  Catharine  of 
Pistoia,  revealed  what  she  knew  of  that  and  other  Nunneries. 
All  the  Priests  "are  of  the  same  character.  They  all  have  the 
same  maxims  and  the  same  conduct.  They  are  on  more  intimate 
terms  with  the  nuns  than  if  they  were  married  to  them.  It  is 
the  same  at  Lucia,  at  Pisa,  at  Prato,  and  at  Perugia.  The  Supe- 
riors do  not  know  even  the  smallest  part  of  the  enormous  wick- 
edness that  goes  ou  between  the  Monks  and  the  Nuns." — Secrets 
of  Nunneries,  by*  Scipio  de  Ricci.  p.  93.  That  statement  is  so 
exactly  conformed  to  Maria  Monk's  "  Awful  Disclosures,"  that 
were  it  not  a  fact  that  she  had  never  seen  Scipio  de  Ricci's  work 
it  might  almost  be  supposed  that  some  part  of  her  narrative  had 
been  transcribed  from  it. 

Foggini  of  Rome,  also  wrote  to  Scipio  de  Ricci  and  informed 
him — "  I  know  a  monastery  in  which  a  Jesuit  used  to  make  the 
Nuns  lift  np  their  clothes,  assuring  them  that  they  thereby  per- 
formed an  act  of  virtne,  because  they  overcame  a  natural  repng- 
-Secreta  of  Nunneries,  p.  101.    That  is  a  very  extraor- 

10* 


nance. 


)» 


III'!' 


^liijii 


11 


if     h  fc 


m 


i\ 


lii 


I 


)  i'l 


226 


REVIEW     OP    THE    WHOLE     SUBJECT. 


dinnry  illnstrntlon  of  tlie  turpitude  of  the  Roman  Priesthood; 
because  that  doctrine  is  a  principle  which  they  constantly  incul- 
cate; and  such  is  the  invariablo  practice  in  the  Hotel  Dieu Nun- 
nery, that  the  Nuns  were  obli;?ed  to  fulfil,  for  the  beastly  graii- 
lication  of  the  Roman  Priests  who  visitetl  that  house,  which  is 
''  the  way  to  hell,  going  down  to  the  chambers  of  death."  Pro- 
verbs 7 :  27. 

It  is  superfluous  to  multiply  similar  extracts.  Scipio  de  Ilicci 
was  a  Popish  prelate,  regularly  commissioned  by  the  Grand 
Duke  of  Tuscany  to  explore  the  Nunneries  ;  and  in  consequence 
of  his  authentic  developments,  the  Jesuits  and  Dominicans,  and 
the  dignifled  Papal  ecclesiastics,  with  the  two  Popes,  Pius  VI. 
and  Pius  VII.  all  opposed,  reviled,  condemned  and  worried  him 
almost  to  death. 

One  quotation  more  shall  close  this  survey.  Pope  Paul  III. 
maintained  at  Rome,  forty-five  thousand  courtesans.  Pope 
Sixtns  IV.  ordered  a  number  of  edifices  to  be  erected  expressly 
for  the  accomodation  of  the  semi-Nuns  of  Rome,  from  whose 
Impurity  he  derived  a  large  annual  revenue,  under  the  form  of  a 
license;  besides  which,  the  prices  of  absolution  for  the  diflerent 
violations  of  the  seventh  commandment  are  as  regularly  fixed 
as  the  value  of  beads,  soul-masses,  blessed  water,  and  every 
other  article  of  Popish  manufacture.  Paolo,  Ilist.  Council  de 
Trent.  Book  I.  Anno  1537. 

The  preceding  observations,  it  is  believed,  will  remove  the 
doubts  from  the  mind  of  every  impartial  inquirer,  respecting  the 
credibility  of  Maria  Monk's  narrative :  neverihelcGs,  a  few  ad- 
liitional  remarks  may  not  be  irrelevant :  especially  as  there  ib  a 
marvellous  skepticism  in  reference  to  the  admission  of  valid  tes- 
timony concerning  the  Roman  priesthood,  their  system  and 
practice.  Wo  are  deafened  with  clamour  for  proof  to  substan- 
tiate Maria  Monk's  history  :  but  that  demand  is  tantamount  to 
the  declaration — "  I  will  not  believe." 

In  anticipcition  of  speedy  death,  and  an  immediate  appearance 
at  the  dread  tribunal  of  Jehovah,  Maria  Monk  communicated  to 
Mr.  Tappan,  the  Chaplain  at  Bellevue,  one  of  the  benevolent  in- 
stitutions belonging  to  the  city  of  New  York,  the  principal  facts 
in  her  "  Awful  Disclosures."  After  her  unexpected  recovery, 
she  personally  appeared  at  Montreal,  expressly  and  openly,  to 
promulge  her  allegations  of  atrocious  crimes  against  the  chief 
Roman  Ecclesiastics  in  that  city,  who  were  armed  with  power, 
and  having  nearly  all  the  population  her  infuriated  enemies. 
There  she  remained  almost  four  weeks,  constantly  daring  the 
Roman  Priests  and  Nuns  in  vain.  It  is  true.  Dr.  Robertson  in 
his  affidavit  says,  that  he  was  willing  "  to  take  the  necessary 
steps  for  a  full  investigation,  if  a  direct  charge  were  made 
against  any  particular  individual  of  a  criminal  nature."    Now 


REVIEW     OF     THE     WUOLE     SUBJECT. 


227 


if  Afftria  Monk's  chftrges  are  not  direct,  op  a  crimixal  nature, 
niul  jiguinst  rARTiciii.An  individuals — wlmt  charges  cuii  bo  so 
cliaiactei-ized  ?  TIjo  fact  is  this  : — Dr.  Robertson  would  no  more 
daro  to  issue  a  warrant  for  tlio  apprehonsion  of  Laitiguo,  or  any 
of  the  inferior  Kon;aii  Priests  in  Montreal,  than  ho  \v«>uld  daro 
publicly  to  Btriko  the  Coniniander  of  the  Garrison,  or  the 
Governor  of  Caiuida  upon  military  parade.  If  any  Papist  had 
stated  to  him  the  same  facts  concernin«j  a  Protestant,  or  Protes- 
tant Miiiister,  and  otFered  to  confirm  them  by  his  worthless  oaih, 
lie  would  liave  issued  his  process  at  once ;  but  Dr.  Kobert>on 
knows,  that  in  the  present  state  of  Canadian  society,  lionjau 
Priests  can  do  what  they  please;  and  no  man  dares  to  reprove, 
mucii  less  to  "  take  any  necessary  steps  for  a  full  investigation  " 
of  their  crimes.  If  the  Jesuits  and  Nuns  at  Montreal  are  anxious 
for  a  full  and  impartial  scrutiny  of  the  Hotel  Dieu  Convent, 
Maria  Monk  is  ready  to  oblige  them  with  some  facilities  for  that 
object ;  provided  she  may  carry  them  out  to  all  their  extent  and 
application.  Mr.  Ogden  has  one  affidavit,  and  knows  the  whole 
matter;  as  can  incontestably  be  proved  by  Mr.  A.  P.  Hart,  an 
Attornev  of  Montreal ;  and  we  recommend  Dr.  Robertson  to 
ifsue  his  warrant  for  the  apprehension  of  Lartigue,  Bonin,  Du- 
fresne,  and  Richards,  they  are  enough  to  begin  with  ;  and  if  Mr. 
Ogden  will  carry  the  facts  with  wich  he  is  acquainted  to  the 
Grand  Jury,  one  witness  in  New  York  is  ready  to  ap[)ear;  and 
Dr.  Robertson  will  find  his  hands  full  of  employment,  if  he  will 
only  "  take  the  necesj?ary  steps  "  to  procure  two  or  three  persons 
who  shall  be  pointed  out  *o  him  in  the  Hotel  Dieu  Nunnery. 
Therefore,  until  Dr.  Robertson  commences  ecme  incipient 
measures  as  a  Magistrate  towards  "  the  necessary  steps  for  a  full 
investigation,"  as  lie  says,  we  shall  be  forced  to  believe,  that  the 
printer  made  a  mistake  in  his  affidavit,  and  put  willing  for  un- 
willing. 

The  cavilling  call,  however,  for  additional  evidence  to  be  ad- 
duced by  Maria  Monk,  is  manifestly  futile.  That  testimony  is 
within  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Priests  alone  who  are  critninated. 
Maria  Monk  reiterates  her  charge  against  the  Romish  Ecclesias- 
tics of  Canada  and  their  Nuns;  and  she  has  solemnly  sworn  that 
they  are  true.  What  more  can  she  do?  Nothing,  but  to  search 
the  pi'emise.'i,  to  see  whether  the  statements  which  she  has  made 
are  correct.  A  Committee  of  the  New-York  Protestant  As^o- 
ciation  are  willing  to  accompany  her  to  Montreal;  to  walk 
'through  the  Hotel  Dieu  Nunnery  in  company  with  any  Gentle- 
men of  Montreal,  and  investigate  the  truth  without  lavmir  or 
partiality,  Maria  Monk  is  willing  to  submit  the  whole  att'air  to 
that  sliort,  and  easy,  and  sensible  test ;  in  which  there  is  no 
possibility  of  deception.  It  does  not  depend  upon  credibility  of 
witnesses,  confficting  evidence,  personal  friendship,  or  religious 


i 


I'' 


f    t 


l-f 


228 


REVIEW  OF  THE  WHOLE  SUBJECT. 


prejudice!) ;  it  is  reduced  at  once  to  that  unerring  criterion ;  tht 
tight  and  the  touch  ! 

But,  it  is  retorted,  that  will  not  bo  granted  ;  then  we  re- 
peat anutlier  proposal :  let  the  Priest  Conroy  come  forth  girdvd 
in  nil  the  panoply  of  the  Roman  court,  and  appear  as  the  cham- 
pion of  the  Canadian  Jesuits ;  let  him  institute  an  action,  civil 
or  ci'iniinal,  or  both,  against  the  publishers  of  such  atrocious 
crimes,  which,  as  they  pretend,  are  falsely  alleged  against  the 
lioman  Priests.  If  Lartigue  and  his  Montreal  inferior  priests 
are  implicated  in  the  most  nefarious  felonies,  Maria  Monk  has 
])ublished  him  as  a  virtuous  acooraplice.  Why  does  he  not  put 
her  truth  to  the  test,  by  subjecting  her  to  a  criminal  process  ? 
Why  does  he  not  commence  a  suit  against  the  Booksellers  who 
published  her  "  Awful  Disclosures  ?" — Ah  1  if  Lartigue,  Bonin, 
Dufresne,  and  liichards,  with  their  brethren,  Conroy,  Plielan, 
Kelly  and  Quarter,  were  coerced  to  keep  Lent,  and  live  only 
upon  soup-maigre,  until  that  day  arrives,  they  would  not  mucli 
longer  portray  in  their  exterior,  that  they  live  upon  the  fat  of 
the  land ;  but  they  would  vociferously  whine  out — "  Mea  culpa  I 
O  mea  grandis  culpa !  O  mea  grandissima  culpa !  Peooava  t  Pecoavi  t 
Peocavi 1" 


W 


APPENDIX. 


RECEPTION  OF  THE  FIRST  EDITIONS. 


'\ 


I  UATE  now  reached  the  close  of  what  appeared  in  my  firdt  editions. 
Some  of  my  readers  may  feel  a  wish  to  know  what  has  been  said  of 
me  and  my  book,  by  those  whose  characters  or  connexions  it  exposes. 
Different  persons  have  expressed  to  me  their  fears  that  I  should  be 
kidnapped,  8tabl)ed  or  poisoned  ;  but  of  this  I  have  had  but  little  ap- 
prehension. Others  may  suppose  that  the  priests  of  Montreal,  and 
some  of  those  in  New  York,  against  whom  I  have  made  different 
charges,  may  have  appeared  against  me  in  ways  of  which  they  are 
ignorant,  and  have  published  facts,  or  used  arguments  of  serious  im- 
port, if  not  of  decided  force.  For  the  information  of  my  readers,  I 
have  determined,  though  at  some  inconvenience,  to  lay  before  them  a 
fair  view  of  what  they  have  done. 

I  was  well  convinced  before  the  publication  of  my  first  book,  that 
the  priests  would  do  or  say  very  little  against  me  or  my  work ;  and 
several  persons  can  testify,  that  I  made  declarations  of  this  kind,  with 
distinctness,  in  their  presence.  The  reasons  I  gave  for  this  opinion 
were  these,— that  they  feared  an  investigation,  and  that  they  feared 
further  disclosures.  They  must  desire  to  keep  the  public  mind  calm, 
and  diverted  with  other  matters ;  and  to  avoid  increasing  my  will. 

There  were  individuals,  I  was  well  aware,  both  in  and  out  of  the 
nunnery,  and  Seminary,  who,  Lum  the  first  notice  of  the  appearance 
of  my  book,  would  be  extremely  disquieted,  until  they  had  ascertain- 
ed the  extent  to  which  my  developements  reached.  When  they  had 
read  for  themselves,  I  well  knew,  they  would  enjoy  a  temporary  re- 
lief, finding  that  my  ''  Disclosures"  were  not  the  most ''  awful"  which 
they  had  reason  to  expect. 

I  also  felt,  that  they  would  apprehend  something  further  from  me ; 
and  that  a  dread  of  this  would  probably  keep  them  quiet,  or  confine 
them  to  general  denials  of  my  story.  And  this  has  been  the  case, 
even  to  so  great  a  degree,  that  the  remark  has  been  often  repeated — 


230 


APPENDIX. 


how  feeble  is  their  defence  I  Why  did  they  not  rather  remain  si- 
lent  than  do  so  little— that  which  is  for  thorn  worse  than  nothing? 
The  causes  of  this  I  could  assign.  Tlic  world  does  not  understand 
them  all. 

Three  principal  grounds  of  opposition  have  been  taken  against  me  by 
ray  enemies — Ist,  That  I  had  never  been  in  the  Hotel  Dieu  Nunnery  : 
2d,  That  my  character  entitled  me  to  no  confldence  ;  3d,  That  my  book 
was  copied,  "  word  for  word,  and  letter  for  letter,"  from  an  old 
European  work,  called  "  The  Gates  of  Ilell  opened."  Besides  these 
grounds,  several  others  have  been  attempted,  but  less  seriously  sup- 
ported— such  es  that  I  was  deranged,  or  subject  to  occasional  aliena- 
tion of  mind ;  and  that  I  was  not  Maria  Monk,  but  a  counterfeit  of 
a  person  by  that  name,  still  in  Canada,  and,  as  some  said,  in  tbo 
Black  Nunnery. 

With  regard  to  the  first  of  these  grounds,  I  will  here  simply  say, 
that  it  has  been,  beyond  controversy,  the  principal  one,  but  has  re- 
cently been  abandoned.  The  great  object  of  the  six  afiBdavits,  pub- 
lished in  Montreal  in  November,  1835,  and  republished  here  soon  after 
the  publication  of  my  book,  was  to  prove  that  I  had  never  been  a  nun 
— not  even  a  novice.  The  reader  may  judge  for  himself,  for  those 
affidavits  are  published  in  full  in  this  volume,  and  they  are  the  only 
ones  which  have  been  published  against  me.  The  reader  will  also  see 
in  an  extract  from  the  New  York  Catholic  Diary  of  March  last  that 
that  fact  is  admitted  ;  and  by  a  later  extract  from  it,  that  a  Canadian 
priest  who  takes  the  trouble  to  write  from  Sherbrooke,  has  no  new 
testimony  to  refer  to. 

As  to  my  character,  I  never  claimed  the  confidence  of  the  American 
people,  (as  the  Roman  priests  do,)  on  a  pretence  of  a  peculiar  holiness 
of  life.  That  would  have  been  unreasonable  in  a  stranger,  and  espe- 
cially one  who  had  been  in  a  nunnery.  My  first  editions,  as  well  as 
the  present,  bear  witness  that  I  appealed  to  the  evidence  of  facts 
which  no  one  could  controvert  if  once  produced — an  examination  of 
the  interior  of  my  late  prison.  Not  a  lisp  has  yet  been  heard  of  as- 
sent to  my  proposition.  The  Protestant  Association  have  published 
a  challenge,  for  several  weeks,  which  is  on  another  page  among  the 
extracts — but  no  one  has  accepted  it,  and  I  will  venture  to  say,  no  one 
.will. 

My  publishers,  on  seeing  the  assertion  made  by  the  editor  of  the 
Boston  (Roman  Catholic)  Pilot,  that  my  book  was  a  mere  copy  from 
an  old  European  work,  called  "  The  Gates  of  Hell  opened,"  published 
an  offer  of  $100  for  any  book  so  resembling  it — without  Buccess.    If 


hM 


RECEPTION     OF    THE     WORK. 


231 


there  be  any  volume  on  earth  which  contains  the  developments  of 
any  fugitive  nun,  whose  case  resembled  my  own,  I  should  expect  to 
merit  such  a  title  as  the  above  ;  and  I  should  know  how  to  excuse 
the  author  for  using  so  strong  an  expression,  after  struggling,  as  I 
have  had  to  do,  ingiviugmy  own  narrative,  with  those  feelings  which 
are  so  apt  to  arise  in  my  heart  at  the  recollection  of  scenes  I  have 
passed  through.  The  opening  of  the  Gates  of  Hell,  whether  in  a  Eu- 
ropean or  a  Canadian  Convent,  may  probably  disclose  scenes  very 
like  to  each  other  ;  but  if  there  be  any  resemblance  between  my  book 
and  any  other  in  the  world,  I  solemnly  declare  that  it  can  be  owing 
only  to  a  resemblance  between  the  things  described  in  both,  as  not  a 
sentence  has  been  copied  from  any  book  whatever,  and  I  defy  the 
editor  ol  the  Boston  Pilot — (not  to  perjure  himself,  as  he  gratuitously 
proposed — but  to  do  what  would  be  at  once  much  more  difficult  and 
satisfactory) — produce  his  book,  or  a  single  page  of  it. 

I  have  been  charged  with  occasional  alienation  of  mind — a  very 
strong  evidence,  I  should  think,  of  my  being  a  nun  ;  for  what  eloped 
nun  ever  escaped  that  charge?  Like  converted  Roman  CatholicSy 
run-away  nuns  are  commonly  pronounced  to  be  out  of  their  wits,  or 
under  the  influence  of  evil  spirits,  of  course,  on  the  ground  that  it  is 
proved  by  the  fact  itself. 

As  to  my  being  the  real  Maria  Monk  or  not,  I  presume  the  test! 
mony  of  some  of  my  old  school-mates,  now  in  New- York,  will  pass. 
To  these,  however,  it  cannot  be  necessary  to  resort,  otherwise  the 
Montreal  affidavits  will  be  good  for  nothing. 

I  will  now  proceed  to  give  the  whole  of  the  testimony  which  has 
been  brought  out  against  me.  A  few  remarks,  necessary  to  acquaint 
the  reader  with  the  progress  of  things,  will  be  given  in  their  place. 
Next  to  these  will  appear  the  testimony  of  several  persons,  who  havo 
voluntarily  presented  themselves,  since  the  publication  of  my  first 
edition,  claimed  acquaintance  with  me,  and  volunteered  their  testi- 
mony. I  need  not  say  how  gratifying  I  have  found  sucli  spontaneous 
marks  of  kindness,  from  friends,  whose  reedy  and  unsolicited  appear- 
ance is  a  real  favour  to  me,  although  chiefly  due,  as  they  declare,  to 
their  love  of  truth  and  justice. 

Almost  immediately  after  the  nppoara.^ce  of  my  '•  Awful  Disclo- 
sures," the  following  anonymous  handbill  waa  distributed  through 
the  city  of  New- York.  It  was  also  published  in  the  Catholic  Diary, 
and  other  papers,  with  violent  denunciations. 


ill 


\i 


I  f 


232 


APPENDIX 


"  Maria  Monk  !     Villany  Exposed. 

"  VAmidu  Peuple,  a  Montreal  paper,  gives  us  the  denouement  of 
the  tale  of  scandal  which  the  Protestant  Vindicator,  Christian 
Herald,  et  id  genus  omne,  put  forward  a  few  months  since,  and 
which  the  Protestant  Editors  of  three  political  journals  in  Montreal, 
at  once  indignantly  repelled  without  knowing  its  origin.  Instead  of 
an  eloped  Nun,  recounting  the  horrors  of  the  Convent,  the  heroine 
of  the  tale  is  a  Protestant  young  girl,  who  has  been  for  four  years 
past  under  protection  of  a  Mr.  Hoyte,  once  styled  a  Reveren*  Metho- 
dist Preacher,  and  connected  with  Canadian  Sunday  Schools.  The 
paper  quoted  above,  gives,  at  full  length,  the  affidavits  of  the  mother 
of  the  girl,  who  is  also  a  Protestant,  and  of  several  other  individuals, 
who  had  no  motive  to  favour  Catholic  Institutions.  The  disconsolate 
mother  testifies  on  oath  that  she  had  been  solicited  by  the  seducer  of 
her  child  to  swear  that  she  was  a  Nun,  and  that  the  father  of  the 
infant  was  a  Catholic  Clergyman — that  a  promise  had  been  made  her 
of  a  comfortable  provision  for  herself,  and  for  her  unfortunate  child 
and  offspring — if  she  would  only  do  that.  The  poor  woman  had 
virtue  enough  to  reject  the  base  proposal ;  and  thus,  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Hoyte,  who  had  returned  from  New- York  for  this  purpose,  accom- 
panied, it  is  stated,  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Brewster  and  Judge  Turner, 
failed  in  the  object  of  his  visit. 

'<A  Methodist  Preacher  of  the  place  immediately  disclaimed  all 
connection  of  the  society  with  Mr.  Hoyte,  and  in  a  letter,  published 
in  the  papers,  expressed  his  regret  that  any  credit  had  been  given  to 
a  foul  charge,  emanating  from  a  source  so  polluted" — Catholic 
Herald. 

« ^^^  The  affidavits  will  be  published  as  soon  as  they  shall  be 
received  from  Canada.  Maria  Monk's  Book,  far  from  injuring  the 
Catholic  religion,  will  promote  it;  for  the  publication  is  a  real 
disclosure  of  the  wickedness  and  hypocrisy  of  its  enemies,  who  dare 
to  go  as  far  as  to  conceal  their  own  crimes,  by  calumniating  those 
who  never  did  any  thing  against  them,  and  have  never  interfered 
with  them.  Probably  the  author  of  this  pious  hook  is  a  minister ; 
and,  what  is  more  remarkable,  not  a  single  one  of  the  ministers  has 
opposed  it,  or  cautioned  the  people  against  it,  as  it  is  their  duty  to 
do,  the  calumniators  being  of  their  own  congregation.  However,  by 
holding  a  prayer-meeting,  making  a  few  faces,  and  giving  a  few 
affecting  turns  to  their  voices,  they  certainly  have  already  washed 
out  the  awful  crime  of  these  calumnies,  because  faith  alone  will  save 
them,  and  they  certainly  have  the  true  faith,  which  shows  itself  by 
these  true  fruits  of  charity.  They  are  the  elect,  and  consequently, 
they  are  not  like  the  Catholic  Priests,  who  are  all  wicked.     The 

reader  may  recollect  the  parable  of  the  pharisee  and  the  publican. 

•  *  *  « *  *  * 

"  Granting  the  truth  of  Maria  Monk's  story,  will  it  not  reveal  the 
weakness  of  Protestant  origin  ?  Where  would  Protestantism  be,  were 
it  not  engendered  and  uursed  by  profligate  Monks  and  Nuns?  Tes, 
gentlemen,  profligate  Monks  and  Nuns  have  been  your  nursing 
Fathers  and  Mothers  I   The  chaste  spouse  of  the  Redeemer  could  hold 


RECEPTION     OF    THE     WORE. 


233 


no  fellowship  with  such  characters.  She  has  flung  them  over  the 
fences  of  the  'fold,'  happy  to  have  a  sink  into  which  to  throw  her 
filth." 


As  soon  as  my  first  edition  appeared,  several  of  the  newspapers  of 
Ntw-York  referred  to  the  publication  in  terms  of  unqualified  con- 
demnation. Not  content  with  giving  my  motives  in  producing  it, 
without  having  seen  me,  they  hesitated  not  to  pronounce  it  utterly 
false,  with  as  much  boldness  as  if  they  had  really  known  something 
more  of  the  matter  than  the  public  at  large.  A  poor  and  injured 
female  had  disclosed  to  their  countrymen  facts  of  deep  interest  to 
all ;  and  they,  without  examination,  perhaps  without  leaving  their 
offices  to  make  a  single  inquiry,  did  their  utmost  to  decry  me,  and 
used  terms  which  they  cannot  but  regret  sooner  or  later. 

Requests  were  immediately  made  to  some  of  them  to  listen  to 
evidence,  which  were  not  accepted.  The  editors  of  the  Courier  and 
Enquirer  were  requested,  in  a  note  from  the  publishers,  to  mention 
in  their  paper  what  parts  of  my  book  they  intended  to  pronounce 
false,  and  what  was  their  evidence.  But  they  took  no  notice  of  it, 
although  desired  to  publish  the  note.  Many  other  editors  were 
invited  to  publish  comru.  'cations  or  extracts,  but  most  of  them 
refused  from  the  first,  am'  i  .;^  papers  were  soon  closed  against  my 
cause. 

In  the  country,  the  newspapers  generally,  I  believe,  followed  the 
example  set  in  this  city,  though  in  Albany,  Boston,  and  one  or  two 
other  places,  a  solitary  one  or  two  appeared  disposed  to  examine  the 
subject. 

At  length  appeared  the  long-threatened  Montreal  affidavits,  which 
are  here  inserted.  They  were  published  in  several  Roman  Catholic, 
and  one  or  two  Protestant  papers  in  New- York,  with  this  intro- 
duction— 


H 


I.  i 


"Maria  Monk's  ^ Awful  Disclosures.''     Villany  exposed! ! 

"  Ot  all  the  curious  pranks  and  fanatical  schemes  which  the  foos 
of  Catholicity  have  been  playing  for  some  years  past,  there  is  not 
one  that  fills  the  mind  with  greater  disgust  than  the  scandalous  tale 
given  to  the  public  by  Maria  Monk  and  her  wicked  associate. 

"By  the  evidence  which  covers  the  following  pages,  the  reader 
will  sec  the  man  himself  clearly  convinced  of  being  a  base  calum- 
niator, and  arch-hypocrite.  He,  and  his  associate  prostitute,  will 
be  seen,  with  brazeu  impudence,  attempting  to  fix  on  the  virtuous 
Catholic  Ladies  and  Catholic  Priests  of  Montreal,  the  shameless 
character  which  belongs  only  to  themselves." 


234 


APPENDIX 


From  the  Montreal  Courier,  Nov.  16, 1835. 

**  The  J^ew  York  Protestant  Vindicator  of  the  4th  November, 
reiterates  its  calumnies  concerning  the  Roman  Catholic  Clorjry  and 
Nuns  of  this  city.  We  cherished  tlie  hope  that,  after  the  simultan- 
eous and  unanimous  expression  of  disbelief  and  reprehension  witli 
which  its  extravagant  assertions  had  been  met  by  the  Canadian  press, 
both  I'rotestant  and  Catholic,  the  conductors  of  that  journal  would 
•have  been  slow  to  repeat,  without  better  evideuce  of  their  truth,  the 
same  disgraceful  charges.  We  have  been  deceived  in  our  calcula- 
tion. The  fanatical  print  demands  coun/er  evidence  before  it  will 
withdraw,  or  acknowledge  the  falsehood  of  its  previous  statements. 
We  believe  that  counter  evidence  has  already  been  adduced,  of  a 
nature  far  surpassing,  in  weight,  the  claims  to  credibility  which  the 
accusations  themselves  could  otter.  The  impure  fabrication  trumped 
up  by  a  woman  of  immoral  character  and  insane  mind,  in  conjunc- 
tion with  a  man  of  equally  depraved  habits,  can  never  be  weighed 
in  the  balance  with  the  testimony  of  Protestants,  living  in  the  same 
community  as  the  accused,  and,  therefore,  possessing  the  means  of 
judging  of  the  truth  or  falsehood  of  what  was  advanced.  By  any 
persons  of  less  interested  credulity,  and  of  more  descriminating  and 
moral  honesty,  than  what  the  conductors  of  the  Protestant  Vindi- 
cator appear  to  possess,  counter  evidence  of  the  above  nature  would 
have  been  deemed  sufficient. 

*'  There  are  two  reasons  which  have  mainly  weighed  with  us,  to 
revert  to  the  subject  of  the  Protestant  Vindicator's  charges,  and  to 
publish  the  subjoined  lengthy  documents.  We  consider,  in  the  first 
place,  our  endeavours  to  expose  falsehood  as  a  solemn  duty  we  owe 
to  the  defamed ;  and,  in  the  second,  we  should  regard  ourselves  to  be 
degraded  in  the  eyes  of  the  world,  did  we  live  in  a  community  where 
such  abominations,  as  are  alleged,  existed,  and  not  dare,  openly  and 
loudly,  to  denounce  the  perpetrators. 

•'  Under  these  impressions,  we  proceed,  at  a  considerable  sacrifice 
of  the  space  of  our  journal,  to  lay  before  our  readers  the  following 
affidavits,  which  will  sufficiently  disclose  the  nature  of  the  Protestant 
Vindicator'^s  calumnies,  their  origin,  and  the  degree  of  credit  which 
can  be  attached  to  them." 

(AFWDAVIT  OF  DR.  ROBEUTSON.) 

"William  Robertson,  of  Montreal,  Doctor  in  Medicine,  being  duly 
eworn  on  the  Holy  Evangelists,  deposeth  and  saith  as  follows  : — On 
the  9th  of  November,  1834,  three  men  came  up  to  my  house,  having 
a  young  female  in  company  with  them,  who,  they  said,  was  observed 
that  forenoon,  on  the  bunk  of  the  Canal,  near  the  extremity  of  the 
St.  Joseph  Suburbs,  acting  in  a  manner  which  induced  some  people 
who  saw  her  to  think  that  she  intended  to  drown  herself.  Tliey  look 
her  into  a  house  in  the  neighbourhood,  where,  after  being  there  some 
hours,  and  interrogated  as  to  who  she  was,  ^.,  she  said  she  was  the 
daughter  of  Dr.  Robertson.  On  receiving  ti)is  information,  they 
brought  her  to  my  house.  Being  from  home  when  they  came  to  the 
door,  and  learning  from  Mrs.  Robertson  that  she  had  denied  them, 
they  conveyed  her  to  the  watch-house.    Upon  hearing  this  story,  iu 


RECEPTION     OF     THE     WORK 


235 


company  with  G.  Auldjo,  Esq.,  of  this  city.  I  went  to  the  watch-house 
to  inquire  into  the  aifuir.  We  found  the  young  female,  whom  I  have 
since  ascertained  to  be  Maria  Monk,  dau}?hter  of  W.  Monk,  of  this 
cily,  in  cu.stody.  Slie  said,  that  although  she  was  not  my  daughter, 
she  was  the  child  of  respectable  parents,  in,  or  very  nour  Montreal, 
who.  from  some  light  conduct  of  hers,  (arising  from  temporary  insan- 
ity, to  which  she  was  at  times  subject  from  her  infancy.)  had  kept 
her  coiilined  and  chained  in  a  cellar  for  the  last  four  years.  Upon 
examination,  no  mark  or  appenrance  indicated  the  wearing  of  mana- 
cles, or  any  other  mode  of  restraint.  She  said,  on  my  observing  this, 
that  her  motiier  always  took  care  to  cover  the  irons  with  soft  cloths 
to  prevent  tliein  injuring  the  skin.  From  the  appearance  of  her 
hands,*  she  evidently  had  not  '  L'cp  used  to  work.  To  remove  her 
from  the  watch-house,  where  sh,  was  confined  with  some  of  the  most 
profligate  women  of  the  town,  taken  up  lor  inebriety  and  disorderly 
conduct  in  the  streets,  as  she  could  not  give  a  satisfactory  account 
of  herself,  I  as  a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  sent  her  to  jail  as  a  vagrant. 
The  following  morning,  I  went  to  the  jail  for  the  purpose  of  ascer- 
taining, if  possible,  who  she  was.  After  considerable  persuasion,  she 
promised  to  divulge  her  story  to  the  Rev.H.  Esson,one  of  the  clergy- 
men of  the  Church  of  Scotland,  to  whose  congregation  she  said  her 
parents  belonged.  That  gentleman  did  call  at  the  jail,  and  ascer- 
tained who  she  was.  In  the  course  of  a  few  days  she  was  released, 
and  I  did  not  see  her  again  until  the  month  of  August  last,  when 
Mr.  Johnston,  of  Griffintown,  Joiner,  and  Mr.  Cooley,  of  the  St.  Ann 
Suburbs,  Merchant,  called  upon  me,  about  ten  o'clock  at  night,  and, 
after  some  prefatory  remarks,  mentioned  that  the  object  of  their 
visit  was,  to  ask  me,  as  a  magistrate,  to  institute  an  inquiry  into  some 
very  serious  charges  which  had  been  made  against  some  of  the 
Komau  Catholic  Priests  of  that  place,  and  the  Nuns  of  the  General 
Hospital,  by  a  female,  who  had  been  a  Nun  in  that  Institution  for 
four  years,  and  who  had  divulged  the  horrible  secrets  of  that  estab- 
lishment, such  as  the  illicit  and  criminal  intercourse  between  the 
Nuns  and  the  Priests,  stating  particulars  of  such  depravacy  of  con- 
duct, on  the  part  of  these  people,  in  this  respect,  and  their  murder- 
ing the  offspring  of  these  criminal  connexions,  as  soon  as  they  were 
born,  to  the  number  of  from  thirty  to  forty  every  year.  I  instantly 
stated,  that  I  did  not  believe  a  word  of  what  they  told  me,  and  that 
they  must  have  been  imposed  upon  by  some  evil-disposed  and  design- 
ing person.  Upon  inquiry  who  this  Nun,  their  informant,  was,  I  dis- 
covi  red  that  she  answered  exactly  the  description  of  Maria  Monk, 
wliom  I  had  so  much  trouble  about  last  year,  and  mentioned  to  these 
individuals  my  suspicion,  and  what  I  knew  of  that  unfortunate  girl. 
Mr.  Cooley  said  to  Mr.  Johnston,  let  us  go  home,  we  are  hoaxed.  They 
told  me  that  she  was  then  at  Mr.  Jolinston's  house,  and  'requested 
me  to  call  there,  and  hear  her  own  story.  The  next  day,  or  the  day 
following,  I  did  call,  and  saw  Maria  Monk,  at  Mr.  Johnston's  house. 
She  repeated  in  my  presence  the  substance  of  what  was  mentioned 

*  Compare  this  with  the  last  sentence  but  one  in  the  afBdavit.  Why  does  Dr. 
R.  not  give  names  of  persons  and  their  afllduvits  f  It  has  not  yet  been  done— 
April,  1S36. 


I 


^ 


236 


APPENDIX 


to  me  before,  relating  to  her  having  been  in  the  Nunnery  for  four 
years  ;  having  talcen  the  blaclc  veil ;  the  crimes  committed  there  ; 
and  a  variety  of  other  circumstances  concerning  the  Priests  and 
Nuns.  A  Mr.  Iloyte  was  introduced  to  me,  and  was  present  during 
the  whole  of  the  time  that  I  was  in  the  house.  He  was  represented 
as  one  of  the  persons  who  had  come  from  New  York  with  this  young 
woman,  for  the  purpose  of  investigating  into  this  mysterious  utt'air. 
I  was  asked  to  take  her  deposition,  on  her  oath,  as  to  the  truth  of 
what  she  had  stated.  I  declined  doing  so,  giving  as  reason,  that, 
from  my  knowledge  of  her  character,  I  considered  her  assertions  upon 
oath  vere  not  entitled  to  more  credit  than  her  bare  assertion,  and 
that  I  did  not  believe  either :  intimating,  at  the  same  time,  my  will- 
ingness to  take  the  necessary  steps  for  a  full  investigation,  if  they 
could  get  any  other  person  to  corroborate  any  part  of  her  solemn 
testimony,  or  if  a  direct  charge  were  to  be  made  against  any  particu- 
lar individual  of  a  criminal  nature.  During  the  first  interview  with 
Messrs.  Johnston  and  Cooley,  they  mentioned,  that  Maria  Monk  had 
been  found  in  New  York  in  a  very  destitute  situation  by  some  chari- 
table individuals,  who  administered  to  her  necessities,  being  very 
sick.  She  expressed  a  wish  to  see  »  clergyman,  as  she  had  a  dread- 
ful secret  which  she  wished  to  divulge  before  she  died  ;  a  clergyman 
visiting  her,  she  related  to  him  the  alleged  crimes  of  the  Priests  and 
Nuns  of  the  General  Hospital  at  Montreal.  After  her  recovery,  she 
was  visited  aud  examined  by  the  Mayor  and  some  lawyers  at  New 
York,  afterward  at  Troy,  in  the  State  of  New  York,  on  the  subject ; 
and  I  understood  them  to  say,  that  Mr.  Hoyte  and  two  other  gentle- 
men, one  of  them  a  lawyer,  were  sent  to  Montreal,  for  the  purpose 
of  examining  into  tlie  truth  of  the  acccusatlons  thus  made.  Although 
incredulous  as  to  the  truth  of  Maria  Monk's  story,  I  thought  it  incum- 
bent upon  me  to  make  some  inquiry  concerning  it,  and  have  ascer- 
tained where  she  had  been  residing  a  great  part  of  the  time  she 
states  having  been  an  inmate  of  the  Nunnery.  During  the  summer  of 
1832  she  was  at  service  in  William  Henry's ;  the  winters  of  1832-3, 
she  passed  in  this  neighborhood,  at  St.  Ours  and  St.  Denis.  The 
accounts  given  of  her  conduct  that  season  corroborate  the  opinions 
I  had  before  entertained  of  her  character. 

"  W.  ROBERTSOX. 

"  Sworn  before  me,  Montreal,  this  14th  day  of  November,  1835. 

*•  Bexj.  Holmes,  J.  P." 


(AFFIDAVIT  OP  MY  MOTHER.) 

«*  On  th|s  day,  the  twenty-fourth  day  of  October,  one  thousand  eight 
hundred  and  thirty-five,  before  me,  William  Robertson,  one  of  his 
Majesty's  Justices  of  the  Peace  for  the  district  of  Montreal,  came  and 
appeared  Isabella  Mills,*  of  the  city  of  Montreal,  widow  of  the  late 
William  Monk,  who  declared,  that  wishing  to  guard  the  public  against 
the  deception  which  has  lately  been  practised  in  Montreal  by  design- 
ing men,  who  have  taken  advantage  of  the  occasional  derangement 

*  My  mother's  maiden  name  was  Mills. 


for  four 
there  ; 
tsts  and 
durin}? 
resented 
s  yonng 
IS  utirtir. 
truth  of 
3n,  that, 
»ns  upon 
ion,  and 
my  will- 
,  if  they 
p  solemn 
partlcu- 
iew  with 
[onlc  had 
08  chari- 
ing  very 
Ei  dread- 
ergyman 
iests  and 
very,  she 
8  at  New 
1  subject ; 
gentle- 
purpose 
Uthough 
it  incum- 
re  ascer- 
ime  she 
mmer  of 
1832-3, 
18.    The 
opinions 

1835. 
P." 


,nd  eight 
ne  of  hi3 
came  and 

the  late 
|ic  against 
»y  design- 

,agement 


UECEPTION     OF     THE     WORK 


23T 


of  her  (lanj^htcr,  to  make  scandalous  accusations  against  the  Priests 
and  the  Nuns  in  Montreal,  and  afterward  to  make  her  pass  herself  for 
a  nun,  wlio  had  left  the  Convent.     And  after  having  made  oath  OQ 
the  holy  evangelists,  (to  say  the  trutli)  the  paid  Isabella  Mills  declares 
and  says,  a  man  decently  dressed  (whom  afterward  I  knew  to  be  W. 
lir  Jloyte,  stating  himself  to  be  a  minister  of  New  York,)  came  to  my 
house  on  or  about  the  middle  of  Aunust  last,  and  inquired  for  one 
Mr.  Mills  ;  that  Mr.  Esson,  a  minister  here,  had  told  him  I  could  give 
him  some  information  about  that  man  ;  I  replied  that  I  knew  no  one 
of  that  name  in  Montreal,  but  that  I  had  a  brother  of  that  name  five 
miles  out  of  town.     He  then  told  mo  that  he  had  lately  come  to  Mon- 
treal, Avith  a  young  woman  and  child  of  five  weeks  old ;  that  the 
woman  had  absconded  from  him  at  Goodenough's  tavern,  where  they 
were  lodging,  and  left  him  with  the  child  ;  he  gave  me  a  description 
of  the  woman  :  I  unfortunately  discovered  that  the  description  ans- 
wered my  daughter,  and  the  reflection  that  this  stranger  had  called 
upon  Mr.  Esson,  our  pastor,  and  inquiring  for  my  brother,  I  suspected 
that  this  was  planned  :  I  asked  for  the  child^  and  said  that  I  would 
place  it  in  a  nunuery  :  to  that  Mr,  Hoyte  started  every  objection,  in 
abusive  language  against  the  nuns.    At  last  he  consented  to  give  me 
the  child,  provided  1  would  give  my  writing  that  it  should  be  present- 
ed when  demanded.    We  left  the  house  together,  Mr,  Hoyte  request- 
ed me  to  walk  at  a  distance  from  him,  as  he  was  a  gentleman.    I 
followed  him  to  Mr.  Goodenough's  Hotel,  and  he  directed  me  to  room 
No.  17,  and  to  demand  the  child  ;  a  servant  maid  gave  it  to  me  ;  Mr. 
Hoyte  came  up,  and  gave  me  the  clothing.    I  came  home  with  the 
child,  and  sent  Mrs.  Tarlert,  an  old  acquaintance,  in  search  of  my 
daughter  ;  her  disposition  will  be  seen.    The  next  day,  Mr.  Hoyte 
came  in  with  an  elderly  man.  Dr.  Judge  Turner,  decently  dressed, 
whom  he  introduced  to  me  as  a  Mr.  Turner,  of  St.  Alban's.    They  de- 
manded to  see  the  child,  which  I  produced.    Mr.  Hoyte  demanded  if 
I  had  discovered  the  mother  ;  I  said  not.    She  must  be  found,  said 
he ;  she  has  taken  away  a  shawl  and  a  bonnet  belonging  to  a  servant 
girl  at  Goodenough's ;  he  would  not  pay  for  them  ;  she  had  cost  him 
too  much  already ;  that  Lis  things  were  kept  at  the  hotel  on  that  ac- 
count.   Being  afraid  that  this  might  more  deeply  involve  my  daugh- 
ter, I  offered  my  own  shawl  to  replace  the  one  taken ;  Mr.  Hoyte 
first  took  it  but  afterward  returned  it  to  me  on  my  promise  that  I 
would  pay  for  the  shawl  and  bonnet.    In  the  course  of  the  day,  Mrs. 
Tarbert  found  my  daughter,  but  she  would  not  come  to  my  house  ; 
she  sent  the  bonnet  and  shawl,  which  were  returned  to  their  owner, 
who  had  lent  them  to  my  daughter,  to  assist  her  in  procuring  her 
escape  from  Mr.  Hoyte  at  the  hotel.     Early  on  the  afternoon  of  the 
same  day,  Mr.  Hoyte  came  to  my  house  with  the  same  old  man, 
wishing  me  to  make  all  my  efforts  to  find  the  girl,  in  the  meantime 
speaking  very  bitterly  against  the  Catholics,  the  Priests,  and  the  Nuns; 
mentioning  that  my  daughter  had  been  in  the  .nunnery,  where  she 
had  been  ill  treated.    I  denied  that  my  daughter  had  ever  been  in 
a  nunnery  ;  that  when  she  was  about  eight  years  of  age,  she  went  to 
a  day-school.    At  that  time  came  in  two  other  persons,  whom  Mr. 
Hoyte  introduced ;  one  was  Rev.  Mr.  Brewster,  I  do  not  recollect 
the  other  reverence's  name.    They  r»ll  requested  me,  in  the  moat  prcss- 


i 

I     ■ )  I 


238 


APPENDIX 


ing  terms*,  to  try  to  make  it  out;  mj  daughter  had  been  in  the 
nunnery  ;  and  tbat  she  had  some  connection  with  the  Priests  of  the 
seminary,  of  which  nunneries  and  Prients  she  spolce  in  the  most  out- 
rageous terms ;  said,  that  should  I  make  that  out,  myself,  my  daugh- 
ter, and  child,  would  be  protected  for  life.  I  expected  to  get  rid 
of  their  importunities,  in  relating  the  melancholy  clrcumstanc<i8  by 
which  my  daughter  was  frequently  deranged  iu  her  head,  and  told 
them,  ihat  when  at  the  age  of  about  seven  years,  she  broke  a  slate 
pencil  in  her  head  ;  that  since  that  time  her  mental  faculties  were  de- 
ranged, and  by  times  much  more  than  at  other  times,  but  that  she 
Avas  far  from  being  an  idiot ;  that  she  could  make  the  most  ridiculous, 
but  most  plausible  etories ;  and  that  as  to  the  history  that  she  had 
beeu  in  a  nunnery,  it  was  a  fabrication,  for  she  never  was  in  a  nun- 
nery ;  that  at  one  time  I  wished  to  obtain  a  place  in  a  nunnery  for  her  ; 
that  I  had  employed  the  inUuence  of  Mrs.  De  Montenach,  of  Dr.  Nel- 
son, and  of  our  pastor,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Esson,  but  without  success.  I 
told  them  notwithstanding  I  was  a  Protestant  and  did  not  like  the 
Catholic  religion — like  all  other  respectable  Protestants,  I  held  the 
priests  of  the  seminary  and  the  nuns  of  Montreal  in  veneration,  as 
the  most  pious  and  charitable  persons  I  ever  knew.  After  many  more 
solicitations  to  the  same  effect,  three  of  them  retired,  but  Mr.  Hoyte 
remained,  adding  to  the  other  solicitations  ;  he  was  stopped,  a  person 
having  rapped  at  the  door  ;  it  was  then  candlelight.  I  opened  the 
door,  and  found  Doctor  M'Donald,  who  told  me  that  my  daughter 
Maria  was  at  his  house,  in  the  most  distressing  situation ;  that  she 
wished  him  to  come  and  make  her  peace  with  me  ;  Ijkvent  with  the 
Doctor  to  his  house  in  M'Gill-street ;  she  came  with  me  to  near  my 
house,  but  would  not  come  in,  notwithstanding  I  assured  her  that  she 
would  be  kindly  treated,  and  that  I  would  give  her  her  child ;  she 
crossed  the  parade  ground,  and  I  went  into  the  house,  and  returned 
for  her. — Mr.  Hoyte  followed  me.  She  was  leaning  on  the  west  rail- 
ing of  the  parade ;  we  went  to  her :  Mr.  Hoyte  told  her,  my  dear 
Mary,  I  am  sorry  you  have  treated  yourself  and  me  in  this  manner  ; 
I  hope  you  have  not  exposed  what  has  passed  between  us,  neverthe- 
less ;  I  will  treat  you  the  same  as  ever,  and  spoke  to  her  in  the  most 
affectionate  terms ;  took  her  in  his  arms ;  she  at  flrst  spoke  to  him 
very  cross,  and  refused  to  go  with  him,  but  at  last  conseuted  and 
w^ent  with  him,  absolutely  refusing  to  come  to  my  house.  Soon  after, 
Mr.  Hoyte  came  and  demanded  the  child ;  I  gave  it  to  him.  Next 
morning  Mr.  Hoyte  returned,  and  was  more  pressing  than  in  his  for- 
mer solicitation,  and  requested  me  to  say  that  my  daughter  had 
been  in  the  nunnery  :  that  should  I  say  so,  it  would  be  better  than 
3ne  hundred  pounds  to  me  ;  that  I  would  be  protected  for  life,  and  that 
I  should  leave  Montreal,  and  that  I  would  be  better  provided  for  else- 
where ;  I  answered,  that  thousands  of  pounds  would  not  induce  me  to 
perjure  myself;  then  he  got  saucy  and  abusive  to  the  utmost;  he  said 
he  came  to  Montreal  to  detect  the  infamy  of  thePriests  and  the  Nuns  ; 
that  he  could  not  leave  ray  daughter  destitute  in  the  wide  world  as  I 
had  done  :  afterward  said.  No !  she  is  not  your  daughter,  she  is  too 
sensible  for  that,  and  went  away — He  was  gone  but  a  few  minutes, 
when  Mr.  Doucet,  an  ancient  Magistrate  in  Montreal,  cnterf^d.  That 
gentleman  told  me  that  Mr.  Goodenough  had  just  no'v  culled  upon 


RECEPTION     OF     THE     WORK. 


239 


him,  and  requested  him  to  let  me  know  that  I  had  a  daughter  in 
Muntreul ;  ttmt  she  had  come  in  with  a  Mr.  lioyte  and  a  child,  and 
that  8he  had  let'l  Mr.  Iloyte  and  the  child,  but  that  she  was  still 
in  Montreal,  so  as  to  enable  me  to  look  for  her,  and  that  I  mi>;ht  prc< 
vent  some  mischief  that  was  ^oing  on.  Then  I  related  to  him  partly 
what  I  have  al>ove  said.  When  he  was  going,  two  other  gentlemen 
came.  I  refused  to  give  them  any  information  at  first,  expecting 
that  they  were  of  the  party  that  had  so  much  agitated  me  for  a  few 
days  ;  but  being  informed  by  Mr.  Doucet,  that  he  knew  one  of  them, 
particularly  Mr.  Perkins,  for  a  respectable  citizen  fur  a  long  time  in 
Montreal,  and  the  other  Mr.  Curry,  two  ministers  from  the  United 
States,  that  if  they  came  to  obtain  some  information  about  the  dis- 
trcssing  events  she  related  to  have  occurred  in  her  family,  he  thought 
it  would  do  no  harm,  and  I  related  it  to  them  :  they  appeared  to  be 
afflicted  with  such  a  circumstance  ;  I  have  not  seen  them  any  more. 
I  asked  Mr.  Doucet  if  the  man  lioyte  could  not  be  put  in  jail ;  he  re< 
plied  that  he  thought  not,  for  what  he  knew  of  the  business.  Then 
1  asked  if  the  Priests  were  informed  of  what  was  going  on  |  he  replied, 
yes,  but  they  never  take  up  these  things  ;  they  allow  their  character 
to  defend  itself.  A  few  days  after,  I  heard  that  my  daughter  was  at 
one  Mr.  Johnson's,  a  joiner,  at  Griffintown,  with  Mr  Hoyte  ;  that  he 
passed  her  for  a  nun  that  had  escaped  from  the  Hotel  Dieu  Nunnery. 
I  went  there  two  days  successively  with  Mrs.  Tarbert ;  the  first  day, 
Mrs.  Johnson  denied  her,  and  said  that  she  was  gone  to  New  Vork 
with  Mr.  Hoyte.  As  I  was  returning,  I  met  Mr.  Hoyte  on  the  wharf, 
and  I  reproached  him  for  his  conduct.  I  told  him  that  my  daughter 
had  been  denied  me  at  Johnson's,  but  that  I  would  have  a  search-war- 
rant to  have  her ;  when  I  returned,  he  had  really  gone  with  my  un- 
fortunate daughter  ;  and  I  received  from  Mr.  Johnson,  his  wife  and 
a  number  of  persons  in  their  house,  the  grossest  abuse,  mixed  with 
texts  of  the  Gospel,  Mr.  Johnson  bringing  a  Bible  for  me  to  swear  on. 
I  retired  more  deeply  afflicted  than  ever,  and  further  sayeth  not. 
"  Sworn  before  me,  this  24th  of  October,  1835." 


if 


!.! 


(AFFIDAVIT  OF  NANCY  M'OAN.) 

"  Province  of  Lower  Canada, } 
District  of  Montreal.        J 

"  Before  me,  William  Robertson,  one  of  His  Majesty's  Justices  of 
the  Peace,  for  the  District  of  Montreal,  came  and  appeared  Nancy 
M'Gan,  of  Montreal,  wife  of  James  Tarbert,  who  has  requested  me  to 
receive  this  affidavit,  and  declared  that  she  had  been  intimately 
acquainted  with  Mrs.  (widow)  Monk,  of  Montreal,  a  Protestant 
woman.  I  know  the  said  Maria  Monk ;  last  spring  she  told  me 
that  the  father  of  the  child  she  then  was  carrying,  was  burned  in  Mr. 
Owsten's  house.  She  often  went  away  in  the  country,  and  at  the 
request  of  her  mother  I  accompanied  her  across  the  river.  Last 
summer  she  came  back  to  my  lodgings,  and  told  me  that  she  had 
made  out  the  father  of  the  child ;  and  that  very  night  left  me  and 
went  away.  The  next  morning  I  found  that  she  was  in  a  house  of 
bad  fame,  where  I  went  for  ber,  and  told  the  womaa  keeping  that 


240 


APPENDIX, 


house,  that  i>l)c  ought  not  to  allow  that  girl  to  remain  there,  for  eho 
wa8  a  girl  of  good  and  honest  family.  Maria  Monk  then  told  me 
that  {ihe  would  not  go  to  him  (alluding,  as  I  understood,  to  the 
failior  of  the  chihl),  (or  that  he  wanted  her  to  swear  an  oath  that 
would  lodc  her  soul  for  over,  but  jestingly  said,  should  make 
her  a  lady  for  ever.  I  then  told  her  (Maria),  do  not  lose  your 
soul  lor  money.  She  told  me  she  had  swapped  her  silk  gowa 
in  the  house  where  I  had  found  her,  for  a  calico  one,  and  got 
some  money  to  boot ;  having  previously  told  me  if  she  had  some 
money  she  would  go  away,  and  would  not  go  near  him  any  more, 
Soon  after,  Mr.  lloyte  and  another  gentleman  came.  Mr.  Uoyte  asked 
mo  where  she  had  slept  the  night  previous,  and  that  he  would  go  for 
the  silk  gown  ;  the  woman  sliowed  the  gown,  and  told  him  that  if  he 
would  pay  three  dollars  he  should  have  the  gown ;  he  went  away, 
and  came  back  with  Maria  Monk,  i)aid  the  three  dollars  and  got  the 
gown  ;  I  was  then  present. 

'^  Being  at  Mrs.  Monk's,  I  saw  a  child  which  she  mentioned  to  be 
her  daughter  Maria's  child.  Some  time  after,  Mrs.  Monk  requested 
me  to  accompany  her  to  Griffintown,  to  look  for  her  daughter.  We 
went  to  Mr.  Johnson's  house,  a  joiner  in  that  suburb ;  we  met  Mr. 
Hoy  to  and  he  spoke  to  Mrs.  Monk  ;  when  at  Mr.  Johnson's,  Mrs,  Manly 
asked  for  her  daughter  ;  Mrs.  Johnson  said  she  was  not  there.  I  saw 
Mr.  Hoyte  at  Mrs.  Monk's;  he  was  in  company  with  three  other 
persons,  apparently  Americans,  earnestly  engaged  in  conversation, 
but  so  much  confused  I  could  not  make  out  what  was  said  ;  and 
further  sayeth  not." 

her 
"  Nancy +  M'Gan. 
mark. 

'*  Sworn  before  me,  on  this  24th  October,  1835. 

"  W.  ROBERTSOxV,  J.  p.'' 


(AFFIDATIT  OF  ASA  QOODEXOUGH.) 

«» Prof>ines  of  Lower  Canada, ) 
IHMrict  of  Montreal.        ) 

"  Before  me,  William  Eobertson,  one  of  his  Majesty's  Justices  of 
the  Peace,  for  the  District  of  Montreal,  appeared  Asa  Goodenough, 
of  Montreal,  holder  of  the  Exchange  Coffee  House,  who,  after  having 
'  made  oath  upon  the  Holy  Evangelists,  declareth  and  sayeth,  that  on 
or  about  the  nineteenth  of  August  last,  two  gentlemen  and  a  young 
female  with  a  child,  put  up  at  the  Exchange  Coffee  House,  of  which  I 
am  the  owner ;  they  were  entered  in  the  book,  one  under  the  name  of 
Judge  Turner,  the  other  as  Mr.  Hoyte,  a  Methodist  preacher,  and 
agent  or  superintendent  for  the  establishment  of  Sunday-schools,  &c. 
"  Being  informed  by  Catherine  Conners,  a  confidential  servant, 
that  something  mysterious  was  passing  amongst  the  Above-named, 
which  led  me  to  call  on  them  for  an  explanation,  they  answered  in  a 
very  unsatisfactory  manner.  I  afterward  learned  that  the  name  of 
the  young  woman  was  Maria  Monk,  that  her  mother  lived  in  town, 
that  die  was  not  married  to  Mr.  Hoyte,  and  they  came  to  Montreal 


K 


RECEPTION     OF     THE     WO  UK 


241 


with  the  viow,  as  Mr.  Iloyto  paid,  to  disclose  tliu  infamy  of  the 
J'riefls,  whilst  sho  was  at  the  Nunnery.  1  thoujjht  it  priulont  to  give 
inlurnuition  of  titis  to  u  magistratu.  Seeing  Mv.  Doucet'H  natiie  oa 
tlie  list,  I  wont  to  him,  and  requested  him  to  give  information  to  the 
mother  of  the  young  woman,  of  the  circumstances  in  which  her 
daughter  was.  He  did  so,  and  the  disclosure  of  the  design  of  Mr. 
lli)yt(!  was  Uic  coasequence. 
'•Montreal.  "Asa  Goodenougu." 


"  The  following  affidavits  have  been  translated  from  the  L'Ami  da 
Peuple,  Montreal,  Nov.  7,  1835." 

(AFFIDAVIT  OF   CATHARIXE  COXXEES.) 


**  Province  of  Lower  Canada, 
Ditftrict  of  JUotUrecU. 


f 


"Before  me,  W.  Robertson,  one  of  Ilia  Majesty's  Justices  of  the 
Peace  for  the  District  of  Montreal,  appeared  Catherine  Conners 
of  Montreal,  a  servant  in  the  hotel  of  Mr.  Goodenougb,  in  the  city 
of  ^[ontrcal ;  she  having  made  oath  on  the  Holy  Evangelists,  to  say 
the  truth  and  nothing  Imt  the  truth, 'declared  and  said  what  follows : 

"  Towards  the  19th  of  August  last,  two  men  and  a  woman  came  to 
the  Exchange  Coffee  House ;  their  names  were  written  in  the  book, 
one  by  the  name  of  Judge  Turner,  and  the  other  as  Mr.  Hoyte  ;  the 
name  of  the  woman  was  not  written  in  the  book,  in  which  the  names 
of  travellers  are  written,  because  I  was  informed  that  they  were 
taking  a  single  room  with  two  beds.  Some  time  after  a  other  room 
was  given  to  them  for  their  accommodation ;  the  woman  passed  for 
the  wife  of  Mr.  Hoyte.  ■• 

"The  day  following,  when  I  was  making  the  bed,  I  found  the 
woman  in  tears ;  having  made  the  remark  to  her  that  her  child  was  a 
very  young  traveller,  she  replied  that  she  had  not  the  power  to  dis- 
pense with  the  journey,  for  they  travelled  on  business  of  importance ; 
she  also  said  that  she  had  never  had  a  day  of  happiness  since  she  had 
lell  Montreal,  which  was  four  years,  with  Mr.  Hoyte  ;  she  expressed  a 
wish  to  go  and  see  her  father.  She  entreated  me  to  try  and  procure 
secretly  clothes  for  her,  for  Mr.  Hoyte  wished  to  dine  with  her  in  his 
own  room,  in  which  be  was  then  taking  care  of  the  child.  I  gave  her 
my  shawl  and  bonnet,  and  conducted  her  secretly  out  by  the  street 
St.  Pierre  :  she  never  returned,  and  left  the  child  in  the  hands  of  Mr. 
Hoyte.  She  said  that  her  husband  was  a  Methodist  preacher,  and 
agent  of  the  Sunday  School  for  Montreal,  in  which  he  had  resided 
four  months  last  winter ;  but  she  had  not  then  been  with  him.  When 
I  returned  to  the  room,  Mr.  Hoyte  was  still  taking  care  of  the  child ; 
he  asked  me  if  I  had  seen  his  lady ;  I  said  no.  Upon  this  question 
he  told  me 'that  the  father  of  his  lady  was  dead,  that  her  mother  yet 
lived  in  the  suburbs  of  Quebec,  and  he  a.sked  me  for  all  the  clothes 
which  I  had  given  to  wash  for  him,  his  lady  and  child  ;  clothes  the 
iculy  had  taken  from  the  only  portmanteau  which  they  had.  Beyond 
that,  I  perceived  nothing  remarkable,  except  that  Mr.  Hoyte  wished 
to  conceal  this  woman,  and  to  prevent  her  from  going  out     I  heard 

11 


.A   J 


'.   M 


242 


APPENDIX 


the  judge  say  to  him, '  now  she  is  yours/    Sworn  before  mo  the  2d 
November,  1835. 

(Signed)  "  W.  Robbrtsox. 

**  Mary  M'Caffrey,  also  a  chambermaid  in  the  hotel  of  Mr.  Good- 
enough,  corroborates  the  preceding  deposition. 

(Signed)  "  W.  Robektson." 

(APPIDATrr  OF  HENRT  MCDONALD.) 

**  Province  of  Lowtr  Canada, ) 
J>Utrict  iff  Montreal.        f 

"  Before  me,  W.  Robertson,  one  of  His  Majesty's  Justices  of  the 
Peace,  for  the  District  of  Montreal,  appeared  Henry  M'Donald,  pby- 
sician,  who,  after  talcing  an  oath  on  the  Holy  Evangelists  to  say  the 
truth,  declared,  that  in  the  month  of  August  last,  at  seven  o'clock  in 
the  evening,  a  young  woman  called  at  his  house  with  all  the  symptoms 
of  an  extraordinary  agitation,  and  in  great  distress.  She  asked  his 
professional  advice,  complaining  of  great  pains  in  the  breast.  On 
questioning  her,  he  learned  that  she  had  a  young  child,  which  she 
said  was  ut  Mr.  Goodenough's,  and  that  this  child  was  taken  away 
from  her.  She  said  that  the  father  of  the  child  was  a  Methodist  Min- 
ister, and  general  agent  of  the  Sunday-Schools.  She  told  me  his 
name,  but  I  cannot  recollect  it.  She  told  me  that  now  and  t^en  her 
intellectual  faculties  were  weakened  in  such  a  manner  that  she  could 
not  support  herself.  She  told  me  that  she  would  be  under  great 
obligation  to  me,  if  I  would  go  to  her  mother's  house,  and  get  her 
child,  and  procure  lodgings  for  her  ;  that  she  was  without  means,  and 
did  not  know  where  to  go.  She  could  not  remain  with  her  mother, 
because  she  felt  that  her  conduct  had  disgraced  her  family.  I  went 
in  quest  of  Mrs.  Monk,  her  mother  ;  she  had  just  come  in  quest  of 
her  daughter,  and  they  went  away  together  from  my  house. 

(Signed)  «Henrt  M'Donald. 

"  Sworn  before  me  the  2d  November,  1835. 

(Signed)  ♦•  W.  Robertsox.'' 


(AFFIDAVIT  OP  MATTHEW  BICHET.) 

7b  ih0^Uor  of  th4  Montreal  Morning  Courier. 

Sir, — Among  the  affidavits  published  in  yonr  paper  of  to-day, 
relating  to  Mr.  Hoyte  and  Maria  Monk,  I  observe  a  deposition  by  Mr. 
Goodenough,  that  when  Mr.  Hoyte,  in  the  month  of  August  last,  put 
up  at  the  Exchange  Coffee-house,  he  was  entered  on  the  book  as  a 
Methodist  Preacher,  and  .Sgent  or  Superintendant  of  Sunday 
Schools,  &c.  It  has,  however,  been  ascertained,  from  an  examination 
of  the  book  referred  too,  tiiat  no  official  designation  is  appended  in 
it  to  Mr.  Hoyte's  name.  This  discrepancy,  Mr.  Goodenough  states, 
took  place  entirely  through  mistake,  and  he  did  not  knrw  that  Mr. 
Hoyte  was  thus  characterized  in  his  affidavit  till  he  saw  it  in  print. 
JBut  as  a  similar  mistake  has  found  its  way  into  several  of  the  depo- 
idtions  which  have  been  elicited  by  this  unhappy  affair,  I  deem  it 
incumbent  upo  i  me,  as  a  regularly  appointed  Methodist  Minister  pf 


RECEPTION     OF     THE     WORK. 


243 


» 


this  olty,  to  declare  that  Mr.  Iloyto  has  never  bad  any  connexion 
with  the  Muthodittt  Society,  cither  as  a  preacher  or  as  an  agent  fur 
Sunday  SchoolH  ;  and  I  would,  at  the  Hamc  time,  exprens  my  hurpriHO 
and  regret,  that  the  JVew-York  Protestant  Vindicator  chould  have 
taken  up,  and  industriously  circulated,  charges  of  ho  grave  a  nature 
against  the  Priests  and  Nuns  of  this  city,  derived  from  so  polluted  a 
source.  From  such  a  species  of  vindication,  no  causo  can  receive 
either  honour  or  credit.  By  giving  this  publicity,  you  will  confer  a 
favour  on  yours,  rcfpectfully,  "  Matthew  Uiciiet, 

"Montreal,  Nov.  16,  1835.  Wesleyan  Minister." 


"  AUhough  we  could  produce  several  other  affidavits,  of  an  equally 
unimpeachable  character  as  the  above,  yet  wc  deem  the  evidence 
advanced  more  than  enough  to  show  the  entire  falsehood  and  extra- 
vagance  of  the  fabrications  in  the  Protestant  Vindicator." 


to-day, 
by  Mr. 
Ast,  put 
lok  as  a 
^tinday 
^inatioa 
^ded  in 
states, 
Ihat  Mr. 
print. 
Le  depo- 
beem  it 
Uster  of 


Here  closes  all  the  testimony  that  has  been  published  or  brought 
against  me.  It  requires  the  suppression  of  my  feelings  to  repeat  v ) 
the  world  charges  against  myself  and  my  companions,  so  unfoundet ., 
and  paiqful  to  every  virtuous  reader.  But  I  tnwt  to  the  truth  to  sub- 
stantiate my  narrative,  and  prefer  that  everj  uiing  should  bo  fairly 
laid  before  the  world. 

That  my  opponents  had  nothing  further  to  produce  against  me  at 
that  time,  is  proved  by  the  following  remark  by  the  £ditor  of  the 
New  York  Catholic  Diary,  to  be  found  in  the  Ttry  paper  in  which  he 
published  the  preceding  affidavits  :-- 

"Here,  then,  is  the  whole!"  , 

In  a  N.  Y.  Catholic  Diary  of  March  last,  is  a  letter  from  Father 
McMahon,  a  Missionary,  dated  at  Sherbrooke,  in  Canada,  in  which, 
as  will  be  seen  by  the  extracts  given  beyond,  he  does  not  even  allude 
to  any  other  testimony  than  this.  Of  course  my  readers  will  allow 
that  I  have  reason  to  say — "  Here,  then,  is  the  whole  I" 

The  following  extracts  are  given  for  several  reasons.  1st.  To 
prove,  by  the  admission  of  my  adversaries  themselves,  that  no  new 
testimony  has  been  produced  since  the  publication  of  the  Mc-:/-  iX 
affidavits.  2d.  That  no  disposition  is  shown  to  bring  the  trnth  to 
the  only  fair  test — the  opening  of  the  Nunnery.  3d.  That  they  are 
inconsistent  in  several  respects,  as,  while  they  pretend  to  lea  e  the, 
oharacters  of  the  priests  and  nuns  to  defend  themselns.  they  labour 
with  great  zeal  and  acrimony  to  quiet  public  suspicion,  and  to  dis- 
credit my  testimony.  4th.  Another  object  in  giving  these  extracts 
is,  to  show  a  specimen  of  the  style  of  most  of  the  Roman  Catholic 


!    !  1 


244 


APPENDIX 


writers  against  me.  In  respect  to  argument,  temper,  and  scarcity  of 
facts.  Father  McMabon  is  on  a  level  with  the  editors  of  the  Diary  and 
Green  Banner,  judging  from  such  of  their  papers  as  I  have  seen. 

From  FaVier  McMalunCi  Letter  to  the  editor  of  the  If.  Y.  Catholic  Diary  of 

March,  1836. 

"The  silence  by  which  you  indulge  the  latent  springs  of  a  mal-pro- 
pense,  so  far  from  being  an  argument  for  culpability,  is  bused  upon 
the  charitableness  of  a  conscious  innocence,  and  is,  therefore,  highly 
commendable.  I  say  it  is  highly  commendable,  inaf^much  as  these 
worthy  and  respectable  characters  do  not  deign  to  answer  falsehood, 
or  turn  their  attention  from  the^**  sacred  avocations  by  ettectually 
repelling  allegations  which  all  men,  women,  and  children,  able  to 
articulate  a  syllable,  in  the  city  of  Montreal,  have  repeatedly  pro- 
nounced to  be  utterly  false,  detestably  false,  and  abominably  scan- 
dalous.   ***** 

"iMay  I  now  call  upon  you,  honest  Americans,  who,  though  you 
may  differ  from  me  la  doctrinal  points  of  religion,  have,  I  trust,  tlie 
due  regard  for  truth  and  charity  towards  all  mankind  ;  and  into 
whose  hand  that  inftn^ent  of  Satan's  emissaries  may  fall,  before 
^ou  believe  one  sylla|mit  oontains,  attentively  to  peruse  the  follow- 
ing facts,  which  are  l^fWrn  tO  all  men  of  learning,  of  every  persua- 
sion, and  in  every  cotintry,  and  which  you  will  find,  by  mature 
investigation,  to  serve  as  a  sufficient  key  to  discover  the  wicked 
falsehoods,  circulated  by  the  enemies  of  truth,  in  the  work  called, 
'  The  Disclosures  of  Maria  Monk,'  but  which,  in  consequence  of  the 
total  absence  of  truth,  from  the  things  therein  contained,  I  have 
termed  (and  I  think  jlbstiy  on  that  account),  the  devil's  prayer-book. 
I  beseech  you  to  give  my  statements  a  fair,  but  impartial  trial,  weigh 
correctly  the  arguments  opposed  to  tliem,  according  to  your  judgment 
-«^do  not  allow  yourselves  tu  be  gulled  by  the  empty  or  unmeaning 
phraseology  of  some  of  your  bloated,  though  temperate,  preachers. 
All  I  ank  for  the  test  of  the  following  statement,  is  simply  and  solely 
the  exercise  of  your  common  sense,  without  equivocation. 

''  1st.  I  distinctly  and  unequivocally  state,  that  the  impugners  of 
the  Catholic  religion  and  its  doctrines,  never  dared  to  meet  us  in  the 
fair  field  of  argument.  Never  yet  have  they  entered  the  lists  in  an 
erislical  encounter,  but  to  their  cost.  Why  so?  because  we  have 
reason,  religion,  and  the  impenetrable  shield  of  true  syllogistic 
argumentation  in  our  favour.  Witness,  in  support  of  the  assertion, 
the  stupid  and  besotted  crew  (pardon  me  for  this  expression,  and  And 
a  proper  term  yourselves,  for  the  politico-Theological  Charlatans  of 
England),  who,  not  daring  to  encounter  the  Catholic  Hierarchy  of 
Ireland,  in  an  honorable  religious  disputation,  are  forced  to  drag  to 
their  assistance  those  very  apostates  from  Catholicity  who  were  con- 
sidered by  their  superiors  unworthy  of  the  situation  they  attempted 
to  hold  in  that  Church  ;  for  the  purpose  of  propping  up  the  stagger- 
ing and  delmuched  harlot,  whose  grave  they  are  now  preparing. 
Only  rei:2Hrk  how  they  are  obliged  to  have  recourse  to  tha  exploded 
scholastic  opiuions  of  Peter  Dens,  by  way  of  showing  tlie  intolerance 
of  the  Catliolics,  who  repudiate  the  doctrine  of  religious  intolerance. 


RECEPTION     OF    THE     WORK 


245 


Uruiicc 
praacc. 


Maryland,  Bavaria,  and  the  Canton?  of  Switzerland,  prove  the  con< 
trary  by  their  universal  religious  toleration.  Now  I  could  mention, 
if  1  thouglit  I  had  space  enough  on  this  sheet,  nuraiwrs  of  ProtL'stnnt 
divines,  who,  in  their  writings,  have  strongly  inculcated  the  absurd 
doctrines  of  ruling  our  consciences  by  the  authority  of  the  Civil 
Magistrates.  See  then,  how  strange  it  is,  that  they  seek  to  condemn 
us  for  doctrines  which  we  abhor,  and  which  they  practice,  even  to 
this  day.    Mark  that  for  an  argument  against  our  doctrines. 

"  2dly.  I  assert,  that  notwithstanding  all  the  persecutions,  all  the 
falsehood  and  defamation  daily  exercised  against  the  Catholics  and 
their  religion,  they  are  at  this  moment  the  only  people  on  the  face  of 
the  earth,  who  maintain  amongst  them  the  unity  of  the  true  faith, 
and  the  regular  succession  in  the  Ministry,  from  Christ  and  his 
Apostles. 

3dly.  I  assert,  that  the  late  scandalous  production  against  the 
Catholic  Clergy  of  Montreal  and  the  Catholic  institutions  there,  is  a 
tissue  of  false,  fou),  designing,  and  scandalous  misrepresentation. 
1st.  Because  upon  strict  examination  into  all  its  bearings,  it  has 
been  so  proved  upon  the  solemn  oaths  of  a  magistrate  and  others 
concerned.  2dly.  Because  it  is  no  way  consonant  to  reason 
or  common  sense  to  sajr  ^^^  those  Uving  at  a  considerable 
distance,  and  avowedly  hostile  t^  the  Qlitiiolics  and  their  reli- 
gion, should  feel  so  interested  ia  Hfeh  tt  IMltter  as  the  Catholics 
themselves,  who  are  vitally  concerned,  an4  who  had  every  facility  of 
discovering  any  impropriety  ;  who  are  zeiTous  of  the  purity  of  their 
religion  and  its  Ministers.  3dly.  Because  the  loud  cry  of  all  the 
inhabitants  of  every  denomination,  from  the  well-known  integrity, 
the  extraordinary  piety,  the  singular  charity  and  devoted ncss  of  the 
Catholic  Clergy,  came  in  peals  of  just  wrath  and  well-merited  indig- 
nation on  the  heads  of  the  degenerate  monsters  who  busely,  but 
ineffectually,  attempted  to  murder  the  unsullied  fame  of  those  whom 
they  deservedly  held,  and  will  hold,  in  the  highest  estimation.       • 

T.  B.  McMauon,  Missionary.^^ 

Now  this  letter  alludes  to  testimony  legally  given,  as  substantiating 
the  charges  against  me.  What  testitnony  is  intended?  Any  new 
testimony?  If  so,  where,  and  what  is  it  ?  I  never  heard  of  any,  of 
any  description,  except  what  I  have  inserted  on  the  preceding  pages, 
unless  I  except  the  violent,  unsupported,  and  inconsistent  asscrtionH 
in  newspapers,  before  alluded  to.  Has  any  testimony,  legally  given, 
been  produced,  which  neither  the  Catholic  Diary,  nor  any  other  Catho- 
lic paper,  has  either  inserted  or  alluded  to?  No.  The  Missionary, 
McMahon,  must  refer  to  the  Montreal  affidavits;  and  since  he  has 
expressed  his  opinion  in  relation  to  their  credibility  and  weight, 
I  request  my  readers  to  form  their  own  opinions,  as  1  have  put  the 
means  in  their  power. 

It  may,  perhaps,  appear  to  some,  an  act  displaying  uncommon 
"concern"    in  my  affairs,  or  those  of    the  Convent,   for  Father 


i 


H 


246 


APPENDIX. 


McMahon  to  take  the  pains  to  write  on  the  subject  from  Canada. 
I  knovf  more  of  hitn  and  his  concerns  than  the  public  do;  and  I  am 
glad  that  my  book  has  reached  him.  Happy  would  it  have  been  for 
him,  if  he  could  prove  that  he  did  not  leave  Sherbrookc  from  the  day 
when  I  took  the  Black  veil,  until  the  day  when  I  cast  it  off.  There 
arc  many  able  to  bear  witness  against  him  in  that  institution  (if  they 
have  not  been  removed),  and  one  out  of  it,  who  could  easily  silence 
him,  by  disclosures  that  be  has  too  much  reason  to  apprehend. 

But  to  return — I  assure  my  readers,  then,  that  this  book  contains 
all  the  testimony  that  has  been  brought  against  me.  so  fur  as  I  can 
ascertain. 

The  extensive  publication  of  the  Montreal  affidavits  (for  they 
appeared  in  the  Roman  Catholic  papers,  and  were  circulated,  it  is 
believed,  very  generally  through  New- York),  for  a  time,  almost 
entirely  closed  the  newspapers  against  me.  My  publishers  addressed 
the  following  letter  to  the  editor  of  the  N.  Y.  Catholic  Diary,  and 
waited  on  him  with  a  third  person,  to  request  its  publication  in  his 
next  paper,  but  he  dedllned.  ^e  expressed  doubts  of  my  being  in 
the  city,  and  intimated  a  wish  to  see  me ;  but  when  they  acceded,  ho 
refused  to  ^eet  me  anywhere  but  at  hia  own  residence  ! 

The  same  letter  was  then  offered  to  other  editors  in  New- York,  and 
even  sent  to  Philadelphia  for  publication,  but  refkised.  It  appeared 
on  the  29th  of  February,  in  the  Brooklyn  Star,  thus  introduced  :— 


1« 


Extracts  from  the  Long  Island  Star  of  Feb.  2Sth. 

» 

"  Since  the  publication  of  our  last  paper,  we  have  received  a  com- 
munication from  Messrs.  Howe  and  Bates,  of  New  York,  the  publish- 
era  of  Miss  Monk's  <  Awful  Disclosures.'  It  appears  that  some  influ- 
ences have  been  at  work  in  that  city,  adverse  to  the  free  examination 
of  the  case  between  her  and  the  priests  of  Canada  ;  for  thus  far  the 
news  papers  have  been  almost  entirely  closed  against  every  thing  in 
her  defence,  while  most  of  them  have  published  false  charges  against 
the  book,  some  of  a  preposterous  nature,  the  contradiction  of  which 
is  plain  and  palpable.  •  •  » 

"  Returning  to  New  York,  she  then  first  resolved  to  publish  her 
story,  which  she  has  recently  done,  after  several  intelligoiit  and  dis- 
interested persons  had  satislied  themselves  by  much  examination  that 
it  was  true. 

•'  When  it  became  known  in  Canada  that  this  was  her  intention,  six 
affidavits  were  publinhed  in  some  of  the  newspapers,  intended  to 
destroy  confidence  in  her  character ;  but  these  were  found  very  con- 
tradictory in  several  important  points,  and  others  to  afi'ord  under- 
signed confirmation  of  statements  before  made  by  her. 

"  On  the  publication  of  her  book,  the  New  York  Catholic  Diary, 
the  Truth  Teller,  the  Green  Banner,  and  other  papers,  made  virulent 


RECEPTION     OF    THE     WORK 


24t 


attacks  upon  it,  and  one  of  them  proposed  that  the  publishers  should 
be  '  Lynched.'  An  anonymous  handbill  was  also  circulated  in  New 
York,  declaring  the  work  a  malignant  libel,  got  up  by  Protestant 
clergymen,  and  promising  an  ample  refutation  of  it  in  a  few  days. 
This  was  re-publi^hed  in  the  Catholic  Diary,  &c.  with  the  old  Montreal 
affidavits,  which  latter  were  also  distributed  thr'>.jgh  New  York  and 
Brooklyn  ;  and  on  the  authority  of  these,  se-  eral  Protestant  news- 
pupers  denounced  the  work  as  false  and  malicious. 

*•  Another  charge,  quite  inconsistent  with  the  rest,  was  also  made, 
not  only  by  the  leading  Uoman  Catholic  papers,  but  by  several  others 
at  second  hand — viz.  that  it  was  a  mere  copy  of  an  old  European  work- 
This  has  been  promptly  denied  by  the  publishei's,  with  the  oiler  of 
$100  reward  for  any  book  at  all  resembling  it. 

"  Yet,  such  is  the  resolution  of  some  and  the  unbelief  of  others, 
that  it  is  impossible  for  the  publishers  to  obtain  insertion  for  their  re- 
plies in  the  New  York  papers  generally,  and  they  have  been  unsuc- 
cessful in  an  attempt  iu  Philadelphia. 

'*  This  is  the  ground  on  which  the  following  article  has  been  offered 
to  us  for  publication  in  the  Star.  It  was  offered  to  Mr.  Scbneller,  a 
Roman  priest,  and  editor  of  the  Catholic  Diary,  for  insertioa  in  his 
paper  of  Saturday  before  last,  but  refused,  although  written  expressly 
as  an  answer  to  the  affidavits  and  charges  his  previous  number  had 
contained.  This  article  has  also  been  refused  insertion  in  a  Philadel- 
phia daily  paper,  after  it  had  been  satisfactorily  ascertained  that 
there  was  no  hope  of  gaining  admission  for  it  into  any  of  the  New 
York  papers. 

"  It  should  be  stated,  in  addition,  that  the  authoress  of  the  book, 
Maria  Monk,  is  iu  New  York,  and  stands  ready  to  answer  any  ques- 
tions, and  submit  to  any  inquiries,  put  in  a  proper  manner,  and  d&- 
eires  nothing  so  strongly  as  an  opportunity  to  prove  before  a  court  the 
truth  of  her  story.  She  has  already  found  several  persons  of  respect- 
ability who  have  confirmed  some  of  the  facts,  important  and  likely 
to  be  attested  by  concurrent  evidence  ;  and  much  testimony  in  her 
favour  may  be  soon  expected  by  the  public 

*'  With  these  facts  before  them,  intelligent  readers  will  judge  for 
themselves.  She  asks  for  investigation,  while  her  opponents  deny  her 
every  opportunity  to  meet  the  charges  made  against  her.  Mr.  Schnel- 
ler,  after  expressing  a  wish  to  see  her,  to  the  pi'blishers,  refused  ta 
to  meet  her  anywhere,  wn/eM  in  his  own  house;  while  Mr.  Quarter, 
another  Homan  Catholic  priest,  called  to  see  her,  at  ten  o'clock,  one 
night,  accompanied  oy  another  man,  without  giving  their  names',  and 
under  the  false  pretence  of  being  bearers  of  a  letter  from  her  brother 
in  Montreal." 


r 


Reply  to  the  Montreal  Affidavits,  rejmed  puhlicationhy  the  Cat/iotic  Diary  Ac. 

*'  To  the  Editor  of  the  CuthoUc  Diary. 

^'  Sir — In  your  paper  of  last  Saturday,  you  published  six  affidavits 
from  Montreal,  which  are  calculated,  so  far  as  they  are  believed,  to 
discredit  the  truth  of  the  '  Awful  Disclosures'  of  Maria  Monk,  a  book 
of  which  we  are  the  publishers.    We  address  the  following  remarks  to 


248 


APPENDIX 


you,  with  a  request  that  you  will  publish  them  in  the '  Catholic  Diary,' 
that  your  readers  may  have  the  means  of  judging  for  themselves.  If 
the  case  be  so  plain  u  one  as  you  seem  to  suppui^e,  tiiey  will  doubtleHS 
perceive  more  plainly  the  bearing  and  force  of  the  evidence  you 
present,  when  they  see  it  brought  into  collision  with  that  which  it  I3 
designed  to  overthrow. 

''First,  We  have  to  remark,  that  the  affidavits  which  you  publish 
might  have  becu  furnished  you  in  this  city,  without  the  trouble  or 
delay  oi  sending  to  Montreal.  They  have  been  here  two  or  three 
months,  and  were  carefully  examined  about  that  period  by  persons 
who  are  acquainted  with  Maria  Monk's  story,  and  were  desirous  of 
ui-certalning  the  truth.  After  obtaining  further  evidence  from  Canada 
these  aflidavits  were  decided  to  contain  strong  contirmatlon  of  various 
poluts  in  her  story,  then  already  written  dowu,  only  part  of  which 
ius  yet  been  published. 

-'  Second.  It  is  remarkable  that  of  these  six  aiBdavits,  the  fu'st  is 
that  of  Dr.  Robinson,  and  all  the  rest  are  signed  by  him  as  Justice  of 
the  Peace  |  and  a  Justice,  too,  who  had  previously  refused  to  take 
the  affidavit  of  Maria  Monk.  Yet,  unknown  to  himself,  this  same 
Dr.  K.,  by  incidents  of  his  own  stating,  corroborates  some  very  impor- 
tant parts  of  Miss  Monk's  statements.  He  says,  indeed,  that  he  has 
ascertained  where  she  was  part  of  the  time  when  she  professed  to 
Lave  been  in  the  Nunnery.  But  his  evidence  on  this  point  is  merely 
hearsay,  and  he  does  not  even  favour  us  with  that. 

"  Tliird,  One  of  the  affidavits  is  that  of  Miss  Monk's  mother,  who 
claims  to  be  a  Protestant,  and  yet  declares,  that  she  proposed  . « ^end 
her  infant  grandchild  to  a  Nunnery  I  She  says  her  daughter  has  long 
been  subject  to  fits  of  insanity,  (of  which,  however,  we  can  say  no 
traces  are  discoverable  in  New  York,)  and  has  never  been  in  a  Nun- 
nery since  she  was  at  school  in  one,  while  quite  a  child.  She  however 
does  not  mention  where  her  daughter  has  spent  any  part  of  the  most 
important  years  of  her  life.  A  large  part  of  her  affidavit,  as  well  as 
several  others,  is  taken  up  with  matter  relating  to  one  of  the  persons 
who  accompanied  Miss  M.  to  Montreal  last  summer,  and  has  no  claim 
to  be  regarded  as  direct  evidence  for  or  against  the  authenticity  of 
her  book. 

•'  Fourth,  The  affidavit  of  Nancy  ^IcGan  is  signed  with  a  cross,  as 
by  one  iguoraut  of  writing  ;  and  she  states  that  she  visited  a  houso 
of  ill  fame,  (to  all  appearance  alone,)  although,  as  she  asserts,  to  bring 
away  Miss  M.  Her  testimony,  therefore,  does  not  present  the  strong- 
est claims  to  our  couQdencc.  Besides,  it  is  known  that  she  has  shown 
great  hostility,  to  Miss  Monk,  in  the  streets  of  Montreal :  and  she 
would  not,  it  is  believed,  have  had  much  intlucnce  on  an  intelligent 
court  or  jury,  against  Miss  M.,  in  that  city,  if  the  latter  had  been  for- 
tunate enough  to  obtain  the  legal  Investigation  into  hor  charges, 
which  as  Dr.  11.  mentions,  she  declared  to  be  the  express  object  of  her 
visit  to  that  city.  In  the  last  summer,  and  iu  which  she  failed,  after 
nearly  a  month's  exertion. 

'•  Fifth,  The  affidavit  of  Mr.  Goodonough  is  contradicted  in  one 
point  by  the  letter  of  Mr.  Kichey,  a  Wesieyan  minister,  which  you  in- 
sert, and  contains  little  else  of  any  importance  to  this  or  any  other 
cose.    *    •    •    • 


RECEPTION     OF     THE     WORK 


249 


"  Sixth,  You  copied  in  a  conspicuous  mauner,  from  a  Catholic  paper 
in  Boston,  a  charge  ap;ainst  the  book,  the  groufKMti'iinc'ss  of  which  has 
been  exposed  iu  t>oine  of  the  Nt-w  York  p::pcr8.  viz.  that  largo  parts 
of  it  were,  '  word  for  word  and  letter  for  letter,'  (names  only  altered,) 
copied  from  a  book  published  some  years  ago  in  Kuropc,  under  the 
title  of  '  The  Gates  of  Hell  opened.'  We  have  not  seen  in  your  paper 
any  correction  of  this  ae^perhion,  although  the  asi<ertion  of  it  has 
placed  you  in  a  dilemnm  ;  for,  if  i^uch  were  the  fact,  as  you  asserted, 
the  Montreal  affidavits  would  have  little  application  to  the  case, 
liesides,  that  book,  having  proceeded  from  Catholics,  and  relating,  as 
was  intimated,  to  scenes  in  European  Convents,  divulged  by  witnesses 
not  chargeable  with  prejudices  against  them,  is  to  be  taken  for  true 
with  Other  names  ;  and  therefore  the  charge  of  extravagance  or  im- 
probability, which  is  so  much  urged  against  our  book,  is  entirely  nul- 
lilled,  without  appealing  to  other  sources  of  information  which  can- 
not be  objected  to. 

'*  But  before  closing,  allow  us  to  remark,  that  you,  who  claim  so 
strongly  the  contidence  of  your  readers  in  the  testimony  of  witnesses 
in  Montreal,  who  speak  only  of  things  collateral  to  the  main  sub- 
ject in  question,  must  be  prepared  to  lay  extraordinary  weight  on 
evidence  of  a  higher  nature,  and  must  realize  something  of  the  anxi- 
ety with  which  we,  and  the  American  public  generally,  we  believe, 
stand  ready  to  receive  the  evidence  to  be  displayed  to  the  eye  and  to 
the  touch,  either  for  or  against  the  solemn  declaration  of  Miss  Monk, 
whenever  the  great  test  shall  be  applied  to  which  she  appeals,  viz. 
the  opening  of  the  Hotel  Dieu  Nunnery  at  Montreal.  Then,  sir,  and 
Dot  till  then,  will  the  great  question  be  settled, — Is  our  book  true  or 
false  ?  Affidavits  may  possibly  be  multiplied,  although  you  say, 
'  Uere,  then,  is  the  whole !'  Dr.  Robertson  may  be  called  again  to 
testify,  or  receive  testimony  as  Justice  of  the  Peace, — but  the  ques- 
tion is  not,  what  do  people  believe  or  think  outside  of  the  Convent  ? 
but, '  what  has  been  done  in  it  V 

''  By  the  issue  of  this  investigation.  Miss  Monk  declares  she  is  ready 
to  stand  or  fall. 

'•  You  speak,  sir,  of  the  *  backwardness '  of  persons  to  appear  in 
defence  of  Miss  Monk's  book.  We  promise  to  appear  as  often  on  the 
subject  as  you  are  willing  to  publish  our  communications.  In  one 
of  the  paragraphs  you  publish,  our  book  is  spoken  of  as  one  of  the 
evils  arising  from  a  '■free  press.'  Wc  think,  sir,  that  '  a  free  press '  is 
exposed  to  less  condemnation  through  the  '  Awful  Disclosures,'  than 
the  '  close  Nunneries '  which  it  is  designed  to  expose. 

"  Kespectfully,  &c 

•«  New  York,  Feb.  22d,  1836." 


es, 
ler 
cr 

tne 
Ln- 
ler 


The  above  was  afterward  copied  in  other  papers.  The  following 
certificate  appeared  in  the  Protestant  Vindicator,  and  other  papers, 
in  March,  183C,  introducing  the  two  first  witnesses. 

"  The  truth  of  Maria  Monk's  ^  Awful  Disclosures^  amply  certified. 
"  We  the  Bubscribcrs,  haying  «Q  acquaintance  with  Miss  Maria 

11* 


250 


APPENDIX 


Monk,  and  having  considered  tlie  evidence  of  different  IfinOs  whicli 
has  been  collected  in  relation  to  her  case,  have  no  hesitation  in 
declaring  our  belief  in  the  truth  of  the  statements  she  makes  iu  her 
book  recently  published  in  New  York,  entitled  'Awful  Disclo- 
sures,' &c. 

"  We  at  that  same  time  declare  that  the  assertion,  originally  made 
in  the  Roman  Catholic  newspapers  of  Boston,  that  the  book  was 
copied  from  a  work  entitled  *  The  Gates  of  Hell  opened,'  is  wholly 
destitute  of  foundation  ;  it  being  entirely  new,  and  not  copied  from 
ahy  thing  whatsoever. 

"  And  we  further  declare,  that  no  evidence  has  yet  been  produced 
which  discredits  the  statements  of  Miss  Monk ;  while,  on  the  con- 
trary, her  story  has  received,  and  continues  to  receive,  confirmation 
from  various  sources. 

**  During  the  last  week,  two  important  witnessess  spontaneously 
appeared,  and  offered  to  give  public  testimony  in  her  favour.  From 
them  the  following  declarations  have  been  received.  The  first  is  an 
aCadavit  given  by  Mr.  William  Miller,  now  a  resident  of  this  city. 
The  second  is  a  statement  received  from  a  young  married  woman, 
who,  with  her  husband,  also  resides  here.  In  the  clear  and  repeated 
statements  made  by  these  two  witnesses,  we  place  entire  reliance  ; 
who  are  ready  to  furnish  satisfaction  to  any  persons  making  reasona-" 
ble  inquiries  on  the  subject. 

«  W.  C.  Bbownleb. 

"  John  J.  Slocum. 

"  Andrew  Bruce. 

"  D.  Fanshaw. 

*•  AM93  Belden. 

"  David  Wesson. 

"Thomas  Hooan." 


(AFFIDAVIT  of  WILLIAU  MILLER.) 

"  CUy  and  County  of  Jf&u)'  York,  as. 

"  William  Miller  being  duly  sworn,  doth  say — I  knew  Maria  Monk 
when  she  was  quite  a  child,  and  was  acquainted  with  all  her  father's 
family.  My  father,  Mr.  Adam  Miller,  kept  the  government  school  at 
St.  John's,  Lower  Canada,  for  some  years.  Captain  Wm.  Monk, 
Maria's  father,  lived  in  the  garrison,  a  short  distance  from  the 
village,  and  she  attended  the  school  with  me  for  some  months, 
probably  as  much  as  a  year.  Her  four  brothers  also  attended  with 
US.  Our  families  were  on  terms  of  intimacy,  as  my  father  had  a  high 
regard  for  Captain  Monk  ;  but  the  temper  of  his  wife  was  such,  even 
at  that  time,  as  to  cause  much  trouble.  Captain  Monk  died  very 
suddenly,  as  was  reported,  in  consequence  of  being  poisoned.  Mrs. 
Monk  was  then  keeper  of  the  Government  House  in  Montreal,  and 
received  a  pension,  which  privilege  she  has  since  eiyoyed.  In  the 
summer  of  1832.  I  left  Canada,  and  came  to  this  city.  In  about  a 
year  afterward  I  visited  Montreal,  and  on  the  day  when  the  Governor 
reviewed  the  troops,  I  believe  about  the  end  of  August,  I  called  at 
the  Government  House,  where  I  saw  Mrs.  Monk  and  several  of  the 
family.    I  inquired  vihere  Maria  was,  and  she  told  me  that  she  was 


RECEPTION     OP     THE     WORK 


251 


ia  the  nuaaery.  This  Aict  I  well  rtioicmbcr,  because  the  iaformatioa 
gave  me  great  pain,  as  I  had  uDfavorable  opiniun»  of  the  uuuaerics. 
On  reading  the  'Awful  Disclosures,'  1  at  once  knew  she  was  the 
eloped  nun,  but  was  unable  to  tiiid  licr  until  a  tew  days  since,  when 
we  recognized  each  other  immediately.  1  give  with  pleasure  my  testi- 
mony in  hur  favour,  as  she  is  among  strangers,  and  exertions  have 
beeu  made  against  her.  I  declare  my  personal  knowledge  of  many 
facts  stated  ia  her  book,  and  my  full  belief  in  the  truth  of  her  story, 
which,  shocking  as  it  is,  caunot  appear  incredible  to  those  persons 
acquainted  with  Canada.  "  William  Miller. 

'■  Swora  before  me,  this  3d  day  of  March,  1836. 

"Benjamin  D.  K.  Craio, 
'•  Commissioner  of  Deeds,  «S:e." 


From  the  ProtegtatU  Vindicator  of  March  9. 

^'The  following  statement  has  been  furnished  by  the  female 
witaess  above-mentioaed ;  the  name  being  reserved  only  from 
delicacy  to  a  lady's  feelings." 

(TESTIMONY  OF  ANOTHER  OLD  SCHOOLMATE.) 

"  I  was  born  at  Montreal,  and  resided  there  until  within  a  tew 
months,  and  where  my  friends  still  remain.  I  was  educated  among 
the  Catholics,  and  have  never  separated  myself  from  them. 

"I  knew  Maria  Monk  when  quite  a  child.  We  went  to  school 
together  for  about  a  year,  as  near  as  I  can  remember,  to  Mr.  Work- 
man, Sacrament-street,  in  Montreal.  She  is  about  one  month  younger 
than  myself.  We  left  that  school  at  the  same  time,  and  entered  the  Con- 
gregational Nunnery  nearly  together.  I  could  mention  many  things 
which  I  witnessed  there,  calculated  to  confirm  some  of  her  accounts. 

"I  knew  of  the  elopement  of  a  priest  named  Leclerc,  who  was  a 
confessor,  with  a  nun  sent  from  the  Congregational  Nunnery  to  teach 
in  a  village.  They  were  brought  back,  after  which  she  gave  birth  to 
an  infant,  and  was  again  employed  as  a  teacher. 

"  Children  were  often  punished  iu  the  Congregational  Nunnery,  by 
being  made  to  stand  with  arms  extended,  to  imitate  Christ's  posture 
on  the  cross  ;  and  when  we  found  vermin  in  our  soup,  as  was  often 
the  case,  we  were  exhorted  to  overcome  our  repugnance  to  it,  because 
Christ  died  for  us.  I  have  seen  such  belts  as  are  mentioned  in  the 
'  Awtul  Disclosures,'  as  well  as  gags ;  but  never  saw  them  applied. 

''Maria  Monk  left  the  Congregational  Nunnery  before  I  did,  and 
became  a  Novice  iu  the  Hotel  Dieu.  I  remember  her  entrance  into 
the  latter  very  well,  for  we  had  a  'jour  de  conge,'  holiday,  on  that 
occasion. 

"  Same  short  time  subsequently,  after  school  hours  one  afternoon, 
while  iu  the  school-room  iu  the  second  story  of  the  Congregational 
Nunnery,  several  of  the  girls  standing  near  a  w^indow  exclaimed, 
'  There  is  Maria  Monk.'  I  sprang  to  the  window  to  look,  and  saw 
her  with  several  other  novices,  in  the  yard  of  the  Hotel  Dieu,  among 
the  plants  which  grew  there.  She  did  not  appear  to  notice  us,  but  I 
perfectly  recognized  her. 


252 


APPENDIX 


"  I  havo  frequently  visited  the  public  hospital  of  the  Hotel  Dicu. 
It  is  the  cjistom  there  for  some  of  the  nuns  and  novices  to  en  fur  at 
three  o'clock,  1*.  M.,  ia  procession  with  food  and  dolicicles  for  the 
sick.  I  recollect  some  of  my  visits  there  by  circuin.stances  attcndiiij? 
them.  For  instance,  1  was  much  struck,  on  several  occasions,  by  th.j 
beauty  of  a  young  novice,  whose  slender,  graceful  form,  and  interest- 
ing appearance,  distinguished  her  from  the  rest.  On  inquiry,  I  leurnt 
that  her  name  was  Dubois,  or  something  like  it,  and  the  danghtt;r  of 
au  old  man  who  had  removed  from  the  country,  and  lived  near  the 
I'lace  d'Arraos.  She  was  so  generally  admired  for  her  beauty,  that 
she  was  called  'la  belle  St.  Frin^ois' — St.  Francis  being  the* saint's 
name  she  had  assumed  in  the  Convent. 

*'  I  frequently  went  to  the  hospital  to  sec  two  of  my  particular 
friends  who  were  novices :  and  subsequently  to  visit  one  who  had  a 
sore  throat,  and  was  sick  for  some  weeks.    I  saw  Maria  Monk  there 
many  times,  in  the  dress  of  a  novice,  employed  in  different  ways 
bat  we  were  never  allowed  to  speak  to  each  other. 

"Towards  the  close  of  the  winter  of  1833-4,  I  visited  the  hospita. 
of  the  Hotel  Dieu  very  frequently,  to  see  Miss  Bourke,  a  friend  of 
mine,  although  I  was  not  permitted  to  speak  with  her.  While  tliere 
one  day,  at  the  hour  of  *  conge,''  or  *  collation,^  which,  as  I  before 
stated,  was  at  three  P.  M.,  a  procession  of  nuns  and  novices  entered, 
and  among  the  former  I  saw  Maria  Monk,  with  a  black  veil,  &c.  She 
perceived  and  recognized  me  ;  but  put  her  finger  on  her  lips  in  token 
of  silence  ,  and  knowing  how  rigidly  the  rules  were  enforoed,  I  did 
not  speak. 

"  A  short  time  afterward,  I  saw  her  again  in  the  same  place,  and 
under  similar  circumstances. 

<^I  can  lix  the  year  when  this  occurred,  because  I  recollect  that  the 
nuns  in  the  hospital  stared  at  a  red  dress  I  wore  that  season :  and  I 
am  certain  about  that  time  of  year,  because  I  left  my  galo-Bhoes  at 
tile  door  before  I  went  in. 

'*The  improper  conduct  of  a  priest  was  the  cause  of  my  leaving 
the  Congregational  Nunnery :  for  my  brother  saw  him  kissing  a 
fflisale  one  day  while  he  was  on  a  visit  to  me,  and  exclaimed — '  O  mon 
Bleu !  what  a  place  you  are  in  I — If  father  does  not  take  you  out  of 
ibjrx  will,  if  I  have  to  tear  you  away.' 

"After  the  la%t  sight  I  had  of  Maria  Monk  in  the  hospital,  I  never 
saw  nor  heard  of  her,  until  after  I  had  been  for  some  time  an  inhabi- 
tant of  New- York.  I  then  saw  an  extract  from  '  Awful  Disclosures,' 
published  in  a  newspaper,  when  I  was  perfectly  satisfied  that  she  was 
the  authoress,  and  again  at  liberty.  I  was  unable  for  several  weeks 
to  find  her  residence,  but  at  length  visited  the  house  when  she  was 
absent.  Seeing  an  infant  among  a  number  of  persons  who  were 
strangers  to  me,  as  those  present  will  testify,  I  declared  that  it  must 
be  the  child  mentioned  in  her  book,  from  the  striking  resemblance  it 
bears  to  Father  Phelan,  whom  I  well  know.  This  declaration  has 
also  been  made  by  others. 

"  When  Maria  Monk  entered,  she  passed  across  the  room,  without 
turning  towards  me ;  but  I  recognised  her  by  her  gait,  and  when  she 
saw  me  she  knew  me  at  once.  I  have  since  spent  many  hours  with 
her,  and  am  entirely  convinced  of  the  truth  of  her  story,  especially 


* 


7 


RECEPTION     OF     THE     WORK. 


253 


7 


y 


as  I  knew  many  things  before  which  tend  to  conflrm  the  statcmcnta 
which  she  make»." 

['*  It  i«  HUpurUuous  to  add  any  thinj;  to  the  n])Ove  testimony.  Let 
the  Uuinan  priests  of  Montreal  upon  tlie  Hotel  Dieu  Nunnery  fur  our 
'  inspection,  and  tbu8  confute  Maria  Monk :  or,  Mr.  Conruy  is  a^ain 
challenged  to  institute  a  criminal  process  against  hor,  or  a  civil  suit 
against  the  publishers  ot  her  volume — They  dare  not  place  the 
eloped  uun  or  her  booksellers  in  that  '  Inquisition  ;'  becau.se  they 
know  that  it  would  only  be  '  putting  themselves  to  the  torture  T  " — 
Ed,  Prot.  Vind.'\ 

From  Vie  Protestant  Vindicator  of  March  \Uh. 

"  Wc  recommend  the  following  communications  to  all  persons  wlio 
doubt  the  wickedness  o5  Nunneries.  The  young  gentleman  who  sent 
us  the  letter  is  now  in  this  city,  and  we  have  heard  the  same  state- 
ments from  other  witnesseR.  That  subterraneous  pas-sagea  from  the 
Seminary  to  the  Nunneries,  we  ourselves  have  seen,  and  close  by  the 
spot  designated  by  our  correspondent : — 

(STATEMENT  OF  J.  M.) 

"  Underground  passage  from  the  Jesuit  Seminary  to  the  Hotel 
JHeu  JSTunnerj/j  Montreal. 

*'  I  have  been  informed  that  you  arc  endeavoring  to  obtain  facta 
and  other  incidental  circumstances  relative  to  the  Black  Nunnery, 
in  Montreal,  and  the  disclosures  concerning  it,  made  by  Maria  Monk, 
in  which  are  many  Hard  things,  but  hard  as  they  are,  they  are  not 
indigestible  by  us  Canadiaflti ;  we  believe  that  she  has  told  but  a 
small  part  of  what  she  must  know,  if  she  was  but  half  the  time  there 
which  she  says  she  was.  Maria  Monk  has  mentioned  in  her  book 
something  about  the  underground  passage  which  leads  from  the 
Black  Nunnery  to  other  places  in  Montreal.  That  fact  I  know  by 
ocular  demonstration,  and  which  nine  tenths  of  the  Canadians  also 
will  not  deny,  for  it  has  been  opened  several  times  by  the  labourers, 
who  have  been  digging  for  the  purpose  of  laying  pipes  to  conduct 
gas  and  water.  While  preparing  a  place  for  the  latter  I  saw  one  of 
those  passages  ;  the  earth  being  removed  by  the  labourers,  they  struck 
upon  the  top  of  the  passage,  and  curiosity  led  them  to  see  what  was 
beneath,  for  it  souuded  as  though  there  was  a  hollow.  They  accord- 
ingly removed  the  large  flat  stones  which  formed  the  top  of  the  pas- 
sage. Many  persons  were  looking  on  at  the  time,  and  several  of 
them  went  down  into  it ;  when  they  returned  after  a  few  minutes, 
they  stated  that  they  went  but  a  short  distance,  before  they  came  to 
an  intersection  of  passages,  and  were  afraid  to  proceed  I'urther. 
Shortly  after,  several  priests  were  on  the  spot,  and  prevented  the 
people  from  further  examining  it ;  and  had  the  place  shut  up  immedi- 
ately, while  they  stood  by  and  guarded  it  until  it  was  all  done.  The 
appearance  of  that  part  of  the  passage  was  the  same  as  I  saw  while 
they  were  laying  the  water  pipes.  The  floor  of  it  in  both  parts 
where  I  saw  it  was  clean  to  appearance,  with  the  exception  ei  a 


m 


254 


APPENDIX 


little  dirt  that  fell  in  on  opening  tliem,  and  of  stone  flagging.  I 
have  beard  much  about  tbese  uHdergrouml  passa^cfl  in  Montreal,  ia 
wbieb  place  I  have  spent  the  most  of  mydiiys.  1  )?ive  you  my  name 
and  residence  :  and  if  you  Hbould  l)u  cullou  upon  from  any  quarter 
for  the  truth  of  this  statement,  I  am  ruady  to  attest  it  upon  oath ; 
and  there  are  others  in  this  city  wlio  have  witneHsed  the  same  things. 
The  places  where  those  openingnwero  maiie  in  the  underground  pas- 
sages were  in  St.  Joseph  street  for  the  water  pipes  ;  and  for  the  gas 
pipes  in  Notre-Dame  street,  near  Sacramvut  street,  at  a  short  distance 
from  the  Seminary.  W.  M." 


< 


About  the  close  of  February  last,  a  note  was  sent  nie  from  a  per- 
son signing  himself  the  man  who  toolc  me  t9  fbe  Almshouse.  Soon 
after  I  had  an  interview  with  Mr.  Hillilcer,  whom  I  recognised  as  my 
first  protector  in  New-Yorlc,  and  to  whom  I  owe  much — indeed,  as  I 
think,  my  life.  He  kindly  offered  to  give  me  his  testimony,  which 
follows  :— 

From  tts  New  York  Journal  of  Commerce. 

(AFFIDAVIT  OF  JOHN  HILLIKER.) 

♦•  City  and  County  of  \ 
Nete  York, ««.  ] 

"  John  Hilliker,  being  duly  sworn,  doth  depose  and  say — that  one 
day  early  in  the  month  of  May,  1835,  while  shooting  near  the  Third 
Avenue,  opposite  the  three  milestone,  in  company  with  throe  friends, 
I  saw  a  woman  sitting  in  a  field  at  a  short  distance,  who  attracted 
our  attention.  On  reaching  her,  we  found  her  sitiing  with  her  head 
down,  and  could  not  make  her  return  any  answer  to  our  questions. 
On  raising  her  hat,  we  saw  that  she  was  weeping.  She  was  dressed 
in  an  old  calico  frock,  (I  think  of  a  greenish  colour,)  with  a  checked 
apron,  and  an  old  blaclc  l)onnet.  After  much  delay  and  weeping,  she 
began  to  answer  my  questions,  but  not  until  I  had  got  my  compan- 
ions to  leave  us,  and  assured  her  that  I  was  a  married  man,  and  di&> 
posed  to  befriend  her. 

"  She  then  told  uie  that  her  name  was  Maria,  that  she  had  been  a 
nun  in  a  nunnery  in  Montreal,  from  which  she  had  made  her  escape, 
on  account  of  the  treatment  she  had  received  from  priests  in  that 
institution,  whose  licentious  conduct  she  strongly  intimated  to  me. 
She  mentioned  some  particulars  concerning  the  Convent  and  her 
escape.  She  spoke  particularly  of  a  small  room  where  she  used  to 
attend,  until  the  physician  entered  to  see  the  sick,  when  she  accom- 
panied him  to  write  down  his  prescriptions;  and  said  that  she  escaped 
through  a  door  which  he  sometimes  entered.  She  added,  that  she 
exchanged  her  dress  after  leaving  the  nunnery,  and  that  she  came  to 
New  York  in  company  with  a  man,  who  left  her  as  soon  as  the  steam- 
boat arrived.  She  further  stated,  that  she  expected  soon  to  give 
birth  to  a  child,  having  become  pregnant  in  the  Convent ;  that  she 
had  no  friend,  and  knew  not  where  to  find  one  ;  that  she  thought  of 
destroying  her  life  ;  and  wished  me  to  leave  her — saying,  that  if  I 


RECEPTION     OF    THE    WORK 


255 


should  hear  of  »  woman  being  found  drowned  in  the  East  River,  she 
earnestly  desired  me  never  to  npeak  of  her. 

*'  I  anked  her  if  she  had  hud  any  food  that  day,  to  which  she 
answered,  no ;  and  I  gave  her  money  to  j?et  houio  al  tlio  gr«)cery  of 
Mr.  Cox,  in  tiie  neighbourhood,  tilie  left  me,  but  I  afterwurdrt  saw 
her  in  the  tields,  going  towurds  the  river  ;  and  after  much  urgeury, 
prevailed  upon  her  to  go  to  a  house  where  I  tbouKht  she  niigiit  Im) 
ucconiiuoduted,  ottering  to  pay  her  expenses.  Kiiiling  in  thisatlempt, 
I  persuaded  her,  with  much  difficulty,  to  go  the  Almshouse  ;  and 
tbere  we  got  her  received,  after  I  bad  promised  to  call  and  see  her, 
as  she  said  she  hud  something  of  great  consequence  which  she  wished 
to  conimuuicute  to  me,  and  wi»bed  me  to  write  a  letter  to  Montreal. 

''She  had  every  appearance  of  telling  the  truth  ;  so  much  so,  that 
I  have  never  for  a  moment  doubted  the  truth  of  her  story,  but  told 
it  to  many  persons  of  ray  acquaintance,  with  entire  contidence  in  its 
truth.  She  seemed  overwhelmed  with  grief,  and  in  a  very  desperate 
state  of  mind.  I  saw  her  weep  for  two  hours  or  more  without  ceas- 
ing ;  and  appeared  tery  feeble  when  attempting  to  walk,  so  that  two 
of  us  supported  her  by  the  arms.  We  observed  also,  that  she  always 
folded  her  hands  under  her  apron  when  she  walked,  as  she  has 
described  the  nuns  as  doing  in  her  '  Awful  Disclosures.' 

"  1  called  at  the  Almshouse  gate  several  times  and  inquired  for 
her  ;  but  having  forgotten  half  her  name,  I  could  not  mukc  it  under- 
stood whom  I  wished  to  see,  and  did  not  see  her  until  the  last  week. 
When  I  saw  some  of  the  first  extracts  from  her  book  in  a  newspaper, 
I  wasconlident  that  they  were  parts  of  her  story,  and  when  1  read 
the  conclusion  of  the  work,  I  had  not  a  doubt  of  it.  Indeed,  many 
things  in  the  course  of  the  book  I  was  prepared  for  from  what  she 
had  told  me. 

*'  When  I  saw  h'r,  I  recognised  her  immediately,  although  she  did 
not  know  me  at  first,  being  in  a  very  ditterent  dresa.  As  soon  as  she 
was  informed  where  she  had  seen  me,  she  recognised  me.  I  have 
not  found  in  the  book  any  thing  incotisistent  with  what  she  had  stated 
lo  me  when  I  tirst  saw  her. 

"  When  I  tirst  found  her  in  May,  1835,  she  had  evidently  sought 
concealment.  She  had  a  letter  in  her  hand,  which  she  refused  to  let 
me  see ;  and  when  sbe  found  I  was  determined  to  remove  her, 
she  tore  it  in  small  pieces,  and  threw  them  down.  Several  days 
after  I  visited  the  spot  again  and  picked  them  up,  to  learn  something 
of  the  contents  but  could  find  nothing  intelligible,  except  the  first 
part  of  the  Signature,  *  Maria.' 

"  Of  the  truth  of  her  story  I  have  not  the  slightest  doubt,  and  I 
think  I  never  can  until  the  Nunnery  is  opened  and  examined. 

"  JOUN  UlLLIKER. 

"  Sworn  before  mc,  this  14th  of  March,  1835. 

"Peter  Jenkins, 
«'  Commissioner  of  Deeds." 


256 


ATPENDI X 


Tbo  foUo\iing  challenge  was  pabllsbcd  in  the  N.  Y.  Protestant 
Vimlicatur  fur  six  or  ec'ven  wcuks,  iu  Miirch  and  April,  without  a 
reply. 

"  CiiAixKNUK— The  Ilonmn  Prclute  and  Priests  of  Montreal— Messrs. 
Conroy,  (quarter,  and"  Scliucllvr,  of  New  York— Metwrf.  Fenwick  and 
I{yrae  of  Bustou — Mr.  Hughes  of  I'hiladelphia — the  Arch-Prelate  of 
iJaitiiuore.  and  his  subordinate  Priests — and  Cardinal  England  of 
Charlehton,  with  all  other  Uoman  Priests,  and  every  Nun  from  Uuffln's 
bay  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  are  hereby  challenged  to  meet  an  investi- 
gation of  the  truth  of  Maria  Monk's  '  Awful  Disclosures,'  before  an 
impartial  assembly,  over  which  shall  preside  seven  gentletnen  ;  three 
to  be  selected  by  the  Uoman  Priests,  three  by  the  Executive  Commit- 
tee of  the  New  York  Protestant  Association,  and  the  Seventh  as 
Chairman,  to  be  chosen  by  the  six. 

"  An  eligible  place  in  New  York  shall  bo  appointed  and  the  regu- 
lations fur  the  decorum  and  order  of  the  meetings,  with  all  the  other 
arrangements,  shall  be  made  by  the  above  gentlemen. 

^'^S"  All  communications  upon  this  subject  from  any  of  the 
Roman  Priests  or  Nuns,  either  individually,  or  as  delegates  for  their 
superiors,  addressed  to  the  Corresponding  Secretary  of  the  JVew  York 
Protestant  Association,  No.  14^  Nassau-street,  ISew  York,  will  be 
promptly  answered." 


From  the  N.  Y.  Protestant  Vindicator  qf  April  6, 1836. 

*'  The  CiiALLEXGK. — We  have  been  waiting  with  no  small  degree 
of  impatience  to  hear  from  some  of  the  Roman  priests.  But  neither 
they,  nor  their  sisters,  the  nuns,  nor  one  of  their  nephews  or  nieces, 
have  yet  ventured  to  come  out.  Our  longings  meet  only  with  disap- 
pointment. Did  ever  any  person  hear  of  similar  conduct  on  the  part 
of  men  accused  of  the  liighest  crimes,  in  their  deepest  dye  ?  Here  is 
a  number  of  Roman  priests,  as  actors,  or  accessories,  openly  denoun- 
ced before  the  world  as  guilty  of  the  most  outrageous  sins  against 
the  sixth  and  seventh  commandments.  They  are  charged  before  the 
world  with  adultery,  fornication,  and  murder !  The  allegations  are 
distinctly  made,  the  place  is  mentioned,  the  parties  are  named,  and 
the  time  is  designated  ;  for  it  is  lasting  as  the  annual  revolutions  of 
the  seasons.  And  what  is  most  extraordinary, — the  highest  official 
atithorities  in  Canada  know  that  all  those  statements  are  true,  and 
they  sanction  and  connive  at  the  iniquity! — The  priests  and  nuns 
have  been  otfered,  for  several  months  past,  the  most  easy  and  certain 
mode  to  disprove  the  felonies  imputed  to  them,  and  they  are  still 
as  the  dungeons  of  the  Inquisition,  silent  as  the  death-like  quiet- 
ude of  the  convent  cell ;  and  as  retired  as  if  they  were  in  the  subter- 
raneous passages  between  the  Nunnery  and  Lartique's  habitation. 
Now,  we  contend,  that  scarcly  a  similar  Instance  of  disregard  for  the 
opinions  of  mankind,  can  be  found  since  the  Reformation,  at  least, 
in  a  Protestant  country.  Whatever  disregard  for  the  judgment  of 
others,  the  Romish  priests  may  have  felt,  where  the  Inquisition  was 


1 


H 


RECEPTION     OF     THE     WORK 


257 


at  their  commHnd,  nnd  llio  civil  power  woa  their  Jacknl  nml  their 
Hycnn  :  tlwy  have  beeii  oljlii^cd  lo  \n\y  home  little  reyanl  to  the 
opinion  ol  prule.xtiiiitj*.  uml  to  the  tlreatl  of  exposure.  We  iheii  lore 
repeat  the  >olemii  iiiiluliitaltlc  tiiilh — that"  Ihf  laet.s  which  are  ht.Ui  »l 
hy  .Maria  N'oiik,  res-pectiiig  the  Hotel  iJieu  Nuiiiitry  at  Montreal,  are 
true  as  Ih-.  existence  ul'  the  prii^tH  und  nuns, — that  the  eharacier, 
principles,  nnil  pructicos  of  the  Jesuits  and  Nuuh  iu  Canuda,  are  ino»t 
accurately  delineated — that  popish  priestH,  und  sisters  uf  charity  iu 
the  United  States,  are  their  faithful  und  exact  counterparts — thut  luuny 
fennilc  schools  In  the  United  States,  kept  by  the  papist  teachers,  arc 
nothing  more  than  placcH  of  decoy  through  which  young  women,  ui 
the  most  delicate  age,  are  enunared  into  the  power  of  the  Uowaa 
priests — an<l  that  the  toleration  of  the  monastic  system  iu  the  United 
States  and  liritain,  the  only  two  countries  iu  the  world,  in  which  that 
unnatural  abomination  is  now  extending  its  withering  inlluence,  is 
is  high  treason  against  God  and  mankind/'  If  American  citizens  and 
British  Christians,  after  the  appalling  developments  which  have  been 
made,  permit  the  continuance  of  that  prodigious  wickedness  which  is 
inseparable  from  nunneries  and  the  celibacy  of  popish  priests,  they 
will  ere  long  experience  that  divine  castigation  which  is  justly  due  to 
transgressors,  who  wilfully  trample  upon  all  the  appointments  of  (Jod, 
and  who  subvert  the  foundation  of  national  concord,  and  extinguish 
the  comforts  of  domestic  society.  Listen  to  the  challenge  again ! 
Jilt  the  papers  with  which  the  Protestant  Vindicator  exchanges,  are 
requested  to  give  the  challenge  one  or  two  insertions."  (lleru  it  waa 
repeated.) 


n  was 


Testimony  of  a  Friend  in  the  Hospital. 

Statement  made  by  a  respectable  woman,  who  had  the  charge  of 
me  during  a  part  of  my  stay  in  the  Bellevuo  Hospital,  in  New  York. 
She  is  ready  to  substantiate  it.    It  is  now  first  published. 

*«  I  was  employed  as  an  occasional  assistant  in  the  Bellevue  Hospi- 
tal, in  New  York,  in  the  spring  of  the  year  1835.  My  di^pftrtmeni 
was  in  the  Middle  House  and  the  pantry.  1  was  present  one  day  in 
the  room  of  Mrs.  Johnston,  the  Matron,  when  a  man  came  in  with  a 
young  woman,  and  gave  a  note  to  Mrs.  J.,  (which  I  understood  was 
from  Col.  Fish,)  the  Superintendent,  Mr.  Stevens,  being  out.  The 
female  was  dressed  in  a  light  blue  calico  frock,  a  salmon-coloured 
shawl,  and  a  black  bonnet,  under  which  was  a  plain  cap,  something 
like  a  night-cap,  which  I  afterward  understood  was  a  nun's  cap. 
Being  occupied  at  that  time,  I  paid  no  attention  to  the  conversation 
which  took  place  between  her  ond  the  Matron  ;  but  I  soon  hiard  that 
she  was  a  nun  who  had  escaped  Irom  a  convent  in  Canada,  who  had 
been  (bund  in  a  destitute  condition,  by  some  persons  shooting  in  the 
fields,  and  that  she  was  in  such  a  situation  as  to  demand  comforts  and 
careful  treatment. 

"  She  was  placed  in  room  No.  33,  where  most  of  the  inmates  were 
oged  American  women  ;  but  as  she  appeared  depressed  and  melan- 
choly, the  next  day  Mr.  Stevens  brought  her  into  No.  26,  and  put  her 


,f 


258 


APPENDIX 


under  my  particular  charge,  ao  he  said  the  women  in  that  room  were 
yoiin<;cr.  Tlioy  were,  however,  almost  all  Roman  Catholics  as  there 
arc  many  in  the  institution  generally. 

"  I  told  her  she  might  coiiHde  in  me,  as  I  felt  for  her  friendless  and 
unhappy  situation  ;  and  lindiu'/  her  ignorant  of  the  Bible,  and  ontcr- 
tuing  bomu  superstitious  views,  I  gave  her  oue,  and  advised  her  to 
reatl  the  scriptures,  and  Judge  fur  herself.  We  bad  very  little  oppor- 
tunity to  converse  in  private ;  and  altbough  she  several  times  sAid  she 
wished  she  could  tell  me  something,  no  opportuoity  offered,  as  I  was 
with  her  only  now  and  then,  when  I  could  step  into  the  room  for  a 
few  minutes.  I  discouraged  her  from  talking,  beaause  those  around 
appeared  to  be  constantly  listening,  and  some  told  her  not  to  mind 
'  that  heretic' 

"  Seeing  her  unhappy  state  of  mind,  it  was  several  times  proposed 
to  her  to  see  Mr.  Tuppan  ;  and,  after  a  week  or  two,  as  I  should 
judge,  he  visit-cd  her,  advised  her  to  read  the  Bible,  aud  judge  for 
herself  of  her  duty. 

'*  Oue  Sabbath  I  invited  her  to  attend  service,  and  we  went  to  hear 
Mr.  Tappan  preach ;  but  after  her  return,  some  of  the  Irish  women 
told  her  to  go  no  more,  but  mind  her  own  religion.  TMs  produced 
an  impressiou  upon  her,  for  she  seemed  like  a  child  of  tender  feeling, 
gentle,  and  disposed  to  yield.  She  bound  herself  round  my  heart  a 
good  deal,  she  was  of  so  affectionate  a  turn.  The  rudeness  with 
which  she  was  treated  by  several  of  the  women,  when  they  dared, 
would  sometimes  overcome  her.  A  large  aud  rather  old  woman, 
named  Welsh,  one  of  the  inmates,  entered  the  room  one  day,  very 
abruptly,  saying, '  I  want  to  see  this  virtuous  nun ;'  and  abused  her 
with  most  shameful  language,  so  that  I  had  to  return  to  her,  and  com- 
plain of  her  to  the  Superintendent,  who  was  shocked  at  such  impu- 
dence iu  a  foreign  pauper,  so  that  she  was  put  into  another  room. 
Maria  was  washing  her  bands  at  the  time  Mrs.  Welsh  came  in,  and 
was  so  much  agitated,  that  she  did  not  raise  her  head,  aud  almost 
fainted,  so  that  1  had  to  lift  her  upon  a  bed. 

"  Before  this  occurrence,  the  women  would  often  speak  to  Maria 
while  I  was  away  and,  as  I  had  every  reason  to  believe,  endeavoured 
to  persuade  her  to  go  to  the  priests.  I  told  them  that  they  ought 
rather  to  protect  her,  as  she  had  come  to  the  same  country  whui'c  they 
bad  sought  protection. 

*•  Mr.  Cotiroy,  a  Roman  prieat,  used  to  be  regularly  at  the  institu- 
tion two  or  three  times  a  week,  from  about  lU  till  I  o'clock,  both 
before  and  after  Maria  Monk  became  an  inmate  of  it.  No.  lU  was 
his  confession-room.  Ho  baptised  children  in  the  square-ward,  and 
fiumetinicH  visited  the  sick  Catholics  in  other  rooms.  Sometimes  ho 
went  up  in  the  afternoun  also. 

'*  I  heard  it  said,  that  Mr.  Conroy  had  asked  to  speak  with  Maria : 
and  thai  an  offer  was  made  to  him  that  he  might  see  her  before 
otherH,  but  not  otherwise,  to  which  Mr.  Conroy  did  not  consent. 

"  Sometimes  Maria  was  much  disturbed  in  her  sleep,  starting  sud- 
denly, with  every  appearance  of  terror.  Some  nights  she  did  not 
Blr<  p  at  all,  and  often  told  me,  what  I  had  no  doubt  was  the  fact, 
that  she  was  too  much  agitated  by  the  recollection  of  what  hhe  had 
Been  in  the  Nunnery.    She  would  sometimes  say  in  the  morning,  '  0> 


\ 


RECEPTION     OF    THE    WORK 


259 


I  were 
there 

9»  and 
cnter- 
luT  to 
oppor- 
ii(i  she 

I  was 

for  a 
iround 
I  mind 

oposcd 
should 
Igc  lor 

to  hear 

women 

oduccd 

reeling, 

heart  a 

88  with 

'  dared, 

woman, 

|y,  very 

>ed  her 

i)d  com- 
impa- 
room, 
in,  and 
almost 

Maria 

ivoured 

'  ought 

re  they 

institu- 

:1c,  both 

lU  was 

ird,  and 

imcs  he 

Maria : 
r  before 
•it. 

Ug    SUd- 

did  not 
the  fact, 
she  had 
ing,  ♦  0> 


if  I  could  tell  you !  You  think  you  have  had  trouble,  but  I  have 
had  more  thiin  ev»!r  you  did.' 

"  Her  di(<tres.«iiij!;  state  of  mind,  w'.th  the  trials  caused  by  those 
around  her,  kept  me  constantly  thinking  of  Maiia.  so  that  when 
employed  at  a  dlstanco  from  lier,  I  would  often  run  to  her  room,  to 
see  how  hhe  was  for  a  moment,  and  back  again.  Fortunately,  tlie 
Women  uronnd  htld  mu  tsomewhut  in  fear,  because  they  found  my 
reports  of  the  interference  of  some  were  attended  to  ;  and  this  kept 
them  more  at  a  distance ;  yet  tliey  would  take  advantage  of  my 
absence  sometimes.  One  day,  ou  coming  to  No.  2'i,  I  found  Maria 
all  in  a  tremour,  and  t^Uc  told  mu  thai,  Mrs.  *  *  *,  one  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  nurses,  had  informed  her  ihat  Mr,  Conroy  was  in  the  insti- 
tution, and  v.'ished  to  see  her.  '  And  what  shall  i  do?'  she  inquired 
of  me,  in  great  distress. 

"  I  told  her  not  to  be  afraid,  and  that  she  should  be  protected,  as 
she  was  among  friends,  and  endeavoured  to  quiet  her  fears  all  I 
could  ;  but  it  was  very  difficult  to  do  so.  One  of  the  women  in  the 
bouse,  I  know,  told  Maria,  in  my  presence,  one  day,  that  Mr.  Conroy 
was  waiting  in  the  passage  to  see  her. 

"  The  present  Superintendent  (another  Mr.  Stevens)  succeeded  the 
former  while  Maria  and  I  were  in  the  Hospital.  Al)by  Welsh  (not 
the  Mrs.  Welsh  mentioned  before)  got  very  angry  with  me  one  <l»y, 
because,  as  usual  on  the  days  when  Mr.  Conroy  came,  I  was  watchful 
to  prevent  his  having  an  interview  with  Maria.  Another  person,  for 
a  time,  used  to  employ  her  in  sewing  in  her  room  on  those  days,  for 
she  also  protected  her,  as  well  in  this  way,  as  by  reproving  those  who 
troubled  her.  Abby  Welsh,  finding  me  closely  watching  Maria  on 
the  day  I  was  speaking  of,  told  me,  in  a  passion,  that  I  might  watch 
ber  as  closely  as  I  pleased — Mr.  Conroy  would  have  her.  Not  long 
after  this,  1  saw  Abby  Welsh  talking  earnestly  with  Mr.  Conroy,  in 
the  yard,  under  one  of  the  windows  of  the  Middle  House,  and  heard 
ber  say, '  the  nun,'  and  afterward,  'she's  hid.' 

'*  A  Roman  Catholic  woman,  who  supposed  that  Maria  had  bcea 
8cen  in  St.  Mary's  Church,  expressed  a  wish  that  she^could  have 
caught  her  thi>ru ;  and  said,  she  would  never  again  have  made  her 
appearance.  I  inquired  whether  there  was  any  place  wiiere  she  could 
have  been  confined.  She  replied,  in  a  reserved,  but  signiiicant  man- 
ner, '  There  is  ut  least  one  cell  there  for  her.' 

"New  York,  March  23d,  1836."  ^  " 

It  would  be  a  natural  question,  if  my  readers  should  auk,  "  What 
Baid  the  Roman  Catholics  to  such  testimonials?  Thoy  laid  great 
stress  on  affidavits  sent  for  to  Montreal ;  what  do  they  tliink  of  affi- 
davits spontaneously  given  in  New  York  ?"' 

So  far  as  1  know,  they  have  republished  but  one,  and  that  is  Mr. 
Hiller's. 


260 


APPENDIX. 


The  New  York  Catholic  Diary  of  March  19th,  said— 

"  Wo  take  the  following  overwhelming  testimony  from  the  Brook- 
lyn American  Citizen  of  the  11th  inslaiit : 

"  The  foUo\vin<^  aflidavits,  «tc.,  are  copied  from  the  last  No.  of  the 
'Protestant  V'indiciitor/  and  prove,  it  seems  to  us,  taken  with  other 
corroborating  circumstances,  the  falsehood  and  irrelevancy  of  the 
testimony  agaiubt  Misa  Mouk,  aud  therefore  establish  the  truth  of  her 
narrative :" 

(Here  it  inserted  Mr.  Miller's  affidavit,  and  then  added  :) 

"What  is  the  weight  of  the  affidavit?  Of  ponderous  import?  I 
inquired  where  Maria  was,  and  she  told  mc  she  was  in  the  Nunnery  ? 
Therefore  she  is  an  eloped  Nun.  Marvellous  logical  affidavit !  We 
may  say,  that  when  an  inquiry  is  made  after  the  editor  of  this  paper, 
and  the  answer  is,  that  h^.  was  in  a  Protestant  Chiurch,  therefore  he 
is  a  Protestant  minister." 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Schueller,  (for  a  Catholic  priest  is  the  editor  of  that 
paper,)  thus  tries  to  slide  over  the  important  testimony  of  Mr.  Mil- 
ler, aud  in  doing  it,  admits  that  I  was  in  the  Hotel  Dieu  Nunnery  in 
the  Kummer  of  1832.  Of  course,  he  admits  then,  that  Br.  Robertson'a 
testimony  to  the  contrary  is  false,  and  gives  up  the  great  point  which 
the  Montreal  affidavits  were  intended  to  settle,  viz.  that  I  had  not 
beeu  in  any  Nunnery — at  least,  not  since  I  was  a  child. 

But  another  thing  is  worthy  of  remark.  The  Diary  says,  "  We 
take  the  following  overwhelming  testimony  from  the  Brooklyn  Ameri- 
can Citizen,"  yet  he  really  leaves  out  the  greater  part  of  the  testi- 
mony which  that  pap*^!'  contained,  viz.  the  certilicate  beginning  on 
page  251.  Let  any  one  turn  to  that,  and  ask  whetiier  the  editor  had 
not  some  reason  to  wish  to  keep  it  from  his  readers?  Did  he  not 
get  rid  of  it  very  ingeniously,  when  he  inserted  the  following  remarks 
instead  of  it  ? 


"Tho  following  statement  has  been  furnished  by  the  female  wit- 
ness alios  e  niWtloned ;  the  name  being  reserved  only  from  delicacy 
to  tt  lady's  feelings." 

'*  Exc'dleut !  'delicacy  to  a  lady's  feelings!!'  we  are  absorbed  in 
a!i  exclamation  of  wonder ;  the  delicate  name,  in  a  matter  of  such 
vast  inipurtance  as  that  which  atl'ects  the  truth  of  the  slanderous 
talc,  cannot  be  mentioned ! 

•'  Therefore,  '  we,  the  subscribers,'  *  Brownlee,  Slocum,  Bruce.  Fan- 
tliaw,  Belden,  Wesson,  and  Hogan,'  rest  the  weight  of  their  authcrity 
upon  the  *  delicacy'  of  a  nameless  '  lady's  feelings.'  ' 

Now  here  Mr.  Sheilaer  preti'iids  that  the  witness  was  not  accessible, 
and  leaves  it  ia  doubt,  whether  the  subscribers,  ^mcn  oi  known  char- 


RECEPTION      OP     THE      WORK. 


261 


rook- 

.f  the 
other 
if  the 
.t  Ucr 


rt?  I 
inery  ? 
!  We 
paper, 
ore  he 


of  that 
r.  Mil- 
nery  in 
ertsori'* 
t  which 
had  not 


'8. 


"We 

Am  Gri- 
lle testi- 
[ning  on 
itor  had 
he  not 
:emiuks 


lale  wit- 
lelicacy 

Drbed  in 
lot"  such 

luderoua 

Ice.  Fan- 
luthcrity 


nctcr  and  unimppacliablo  voracity.)  knew  any  thing  of  her.  Yet  it 
was  cxpri'KSily  stutod  by  them  tliat  nho  was  known,  and  that  any  rcaa- 
oniilile  iiiquiiics  wonhl  ho  readily  answered.     (See  p.  24f).) 

I  have  no  intciilinn  of  atli'tnptins:  to  enforce  tlie  evidence  present- 
ed in  the  testimonials  just  given,  it^hall  leave  every  reader  to  tbrni 
his  own  conclusions  independently  and  dispassionately.  1  could 
easily  say  things  likely  to  excite  the  feelings  of  every  one  who  peruses 
tlase  pages — but  1  prefer  to  persist  in  the  course  I  have  thus  far  pur- 
sued, and  abstain  from  all  exciting  expres-sions.  The  things  1  declai'o 
are  sober  realities,  and  nothing  is  necessary  to  have  them  so  received, 
but  that  the  evidence  be  calmly  laid  before  the  public. 

I  will  make  one  or  two  suggestions  here,  for  the  purpose  of  direct- 
ing attention  to  points  of  importance,  though  one  or  two  of  them  hove 
been  already  touched  upon. 

1st.  One  of  the  six  allidavits  was  given  by  Dr.  Ilobertsonj  and  the 
remaining  live  were  sworn  to  before  him. 

2d.  The  witnesses  speak  of  interviews  with  me,  on  two  of  the 
most  distressing  days  of  my  life.    Now  let  the  reader  refer  to  those 

allidavits  and  then  say,  whether  any  expressions  w  hich  they  may  have 
misunderstood,  or  any  which  may  have  been  fabricated  for  2ne,  (as  I 
strongly  suspect  must  have  been  the  fact  with  some,)  ought  to  destroy 
my  character  for  credibility  ;  especially  when  1  appeal  to  evidence  so 
incontestiblc  as  an  inspection  of  the  nunnery,  and  my  opponents 
shrink  IVom  it.  Let  the  reader  observe  also,  that  in  the  interviews 
spoken  of  in  the  allidavits,  no  third  person  is  commonly  i^poken  of  as 
present ;  while  those  who  are  named  are  most  of  them  inimical  to 
me. 

3d.  All  the  testimony  in  the  aflldavlts  is  aimed  to  destroy  my 
character,  and  to  prevent  me  from  receiving  any  credit  as  a  witness. 
Kot  a  bit  of  it  meets  the  charges  1  make  against  the  priests  and  nuns. 
If  they  had  proved  that  I  never  was  in  the  uunne^  that,  indeed^ 
would  set  aside  my  testimony :  but  failing  to  do  jlliftt,  the  attempt 
goes  far  to  set  their  own  aside 

Having  now  fairly  shown  my  readers  what  reception  my  flrst  edition 
met  with,  both  from  enemies  and  friends,  I  proceed  to  the  "  Sequel'' 
of  my  narrative. 


tccssible, 
m  cUttT- 


T  U  E    END 


A    HOOK   Tilt:  JESVITS  ("AN  NOT  SUPPItESS ! 


THE  ESCAPED  NUN; 

OR, 

DISCLOSURES    OF   CONVENT    LIFE. 


Oifinff  ft  more  3Iiniit«  Denorlptlon  and  n  Bohffr  lievflatton  of  th^  Myntfrtftt  and 
Sft'fetit  of  NunncrifH,  than  hav«  ever  before  been  submitted  to  the  American  public. 
Eleynnily  hound  in  doth,  \^mo.    Price,  C-. 

The  pnl)lic  are  aware  that  we  hare  lately  been  involved  in  a  course  of  lUi^Atlon 
retpectinr?  a  Book  on  Convent  Life,  and  the  result  Is  also  known.  There  It  a  great  diver- 
Bity  of  opinion  respecting;  the  Injunction  and  its  attending;  circumsiances ;  but  there  is 
but  one  opinion  as  regards  the  merits  of  the  book  we  have  now  the  pleasure  of  presenting, 
and  wlilch  contains  a  fuller  and  more  detailed  account  of  tlie  inner  life  of  Convents  or 
Nunneries,  than  we  could  have  presented  In  any  other  form.  In  order  to  render  this 
volume  as  full  an  exposition  as  possible  of  the  abuses  of  which  It  treats,  and  to  give  pub- 
licity to  facts  which  admit  of  almost  immediate  verification,  In  addition  to  the  principal 
narrative,  the  Conkessioss  or  a  "?!ST:iH  oi'  Ch\mt<i,"  written  hy  herself,  are  also 
embodied,  together  with  The  Kxpkriknck  or  a  Nch,  the  details  of  whose  eventful  history 
•re  deeply  Interesting;  so  that  in  this  invaluable  work,  we  have  a  most  diversined  and 
thorough  exposition  of  the  immoralities  and  impostures  as  practised  in  nunneries. 

Parents  and  Guardians  who  have  the  most  distant  idea  of  sending  their  cliildren  or 
wards  to  these  prison-houses,  falsely  called  "  Institutions  of  Learning,"  should  not  fail  to 
read  the  palpable  evidences  of  their  criminality  in  entertaining  such  a  thought,  as  set 
forth  In  this  book — evidences  convincing  and  undeniable.  The  profound  sensation  which 
these  astounding  revelations  are  destined  to  create,  has  been  already  experience<i  to 
some  extent  in  the  literary  world,  among  editors  who  have  been  furnished  with  proof 
sheets  of  the  work.  They  lay  that  "  It  bears  the  unmistakable  marks  of  truthfulness 
upon  its  face;  and  yet  the  mind  shrinks  with  terror  from  the  necessity  of  believing  that 
such  horrid  criminalities  are  practised  in  convents.  But  here  is  Truth  pointing  with  her 
nnerring  finger  to  the  record  and  the  facts,  and  to  her  revelations  we  are  bound  to  yield 
implicit  belief." 

The  following  constitutes  but  a  small  portion  of  the  Contents : 


Perversion  to  Romanism. — The  Trap. 
The  Laws  of  Nature  rs.  the  i^uws  of  Popi'ty, 
The  New  Prison. — Mysterious  Influences. 
Suspicious  Intimacy. — Contemplated  Escape. 
Immoral  Practices  In  Convents. 
Reflections  on  the  Cruel  Bondage  of  Nun- 
nerieo. — Inveigling  Oirls  into  Convents. 
The  Mother  Superior.— The  Pretty  Nuns. 


An  Acciilental  Discovery.    The  Alarm. 
My  Flight.— The  Boat.— The  E8c;n>c. 
Murder  of  an  American  Nun  at  Sea. 
Excursions  from  the  Convent  dressed  as  a 

Sister  of  Charity,  as  a  Priest,  &c. 
Strange  men  in  the  Convent. — Prisons  again 

Convert  of  the  Sacred . 

Midnight  A<lven'urc«  in  the  Convent. 


Culpability  of  Parents  In  sending  Daughters^  The  Hotel  Uieu.  or  Black  Nunnery. 


to  Nunneries, — The  Forced  Ceremony. 
The  bitterness  of  Death  Anticipated. 
Forced  to  leave  the  Convent  at  Midnight. 
Impri!<onment. — Release. — An  Outrage. 
Passion  of  the  Superior. — Priestly  Duplicity. 
The  Stolen  Portrait.— The  baflled  Bishop. 
The  Ordeal. — The  Victory. — Deception. 
Coovents  above  the  Laws. — The  Jesuit  Spies. 


Character  of  P./pisli  Priests. 

Crimes  of  Priest-,  and  Tricks  of  Nuns. 

Dixgnised  for  School-teachers. 

My  Cell.— A  Uude  and  Insolent  Priest. 

Gagged  .um2  BlindfoMed. — Tiie  Conference. 

Praying  to  all  but  «,io;!. — The  Gay  superior. 

A  Confessor  in  I/f)Vfc.— A  Wedding. 

The  Mystery  Explained.— Qod  and  Man. 


DE  WITT  &  DAVENPORT,  Pttblishem, 

160  ft  le^  HASSAU  BIBEBTt  V.T 


r 


^ 


OREAT  ANTI-CATHOLIC  WORKS. 

A   BOOK   THE   JESUITS    CAN    NOT   SUPPRESS! 

•FD^Xl     Zl  0  O  uA.  aP  XI  X>     X<JT7]N'9 

OR,  DISCLOSURES  OF  CONVENT  LIFR 

Qinlng  a  more  Mtnuts  Detcriptton  and  a  Bolder  Revelation  of  the  ilytterii  n  and 

iieereta  qf  Jiunneriee,  t/uin  futve  ever  bi^fitre  been  aubtnitted  to  tha  Atnerican 

pubUo.    JCUganUy  bound  in  eloth,  limo.    Ftiee  |1. 

Injunctions,  tlanders,  «nd  vile  insinuations  avail  not  to  injure  the  sale  of  this  popular 
exposition  of  the  terrible  evils  of  Comvkmt  Lirs.  The  more  the  Jesuits  endeavor  to  sup- 
press the  book,  the  better  It  sells.  The  people  want  light  on  these  dark  sutjects,  and  this 
is  Just  the  work  to  give  it  to  them,  being  no  Action,  but  actual  experience  of  living  wit- 
nesses. 


BT  MARIA  MONK,  OF  THE  HOTEL  DIEU  NUNNERY,  MONTREAL. 

Pi-iee,clotkl'S  ct  Is. 

Almost  every  one  has  heard  of  the  terrible  disclosures  of  Maria  Monk,  which  abouf 
twenty  years  ago  created  the  most  intense  excitement  among  all  classes  of  society,  who 
were  greatly  divided  in  their  opinions  as  to  tho  truth  or  falsehood  of  her  statements. 
Recent  developments  have  gone  fu''  to  establish  the  certainty  of  their  </*uM,  and  much 
curiosity  has  been  therefore  rxpre  ''?il  to  s«;e  the  work,  which  has  been  long  out  of  print, 
and  consequently  scarcely  seen  b:i  ': .  pres&ut  generation  of  readers.  Uence  thin  repub- 
lication. 


THi  OKLT  ri-rrr  vr  u*ki^ tnr^:  ''all"  thb  LBniiis  or  skxator  uroou 
*  HUl    CONTROVERSY    BETWEEN 

SENAXm   LliOOKS   AND    "tJOHN," 

A'iLE^iSHOP   OP   NEW   YORK. 
Orowing  out  of  the  Speech  of  Senator  Brooks  on  the 

IM  THI  iraw  TORK  8TATC  SKfATB,  VAROH  6tH,  1855. 

Arranged  Jbr  publioation^  with  an  Introductory  Prtface^  hy 

WILLIAM   S.   TISDALE. 
With  well  ezeoat«d  Portraiti  of  the  Senator  and  Arohbiahop. 

We  have  been  at  considerable  expense  tn  getting  up  this  Pamphlet.  It  is  well  printed 
on  good  uaper,  making  a  Book  of  over  *ighiit-four  pages,  small  type.  And  It  is  well  to 
remember  that  this  is  the  only  complvth  Edition  in  the  market,  the  Catholics  having 
omitted,  in  the  one  published  by  them,  three  or  four  of  Senator  Baoou*  most  ttnandwera« 
ble  letters.    The  Price  per  hundred  is  $14,  (11  80  per  dot.,  25  cents  single  copy. 

This  Controversy  therefore  awoke  a  spirit  of  in^iry  on  the  subject  more  exciting  and 
aaore  engrossing  than  anything  before  the  publio  t^t  years. 


THE    KNOW  NOTHING    AiMANAC, 
kVH  TBTJI  AXEBICAH'S  MANUiX.,  FOB  1856. 

RDITBD  BT   W.   B.  TISDALI,  E3%t. 

iV<M,  %1  per  hundred,  8  ahitt.  per  daum,  li}i  CMi«  single  copy. 

This  little  work  is  the  best  calculated  of  any  American  pamphkt  ever  published  to  d!>« 
■emlnate  the  pure  principks  of  our  party  throughout  the  land.  Carrying  its  lessons  of 
patriotism  into  the  honfb  of  the  farmer,  the  workshop  of  the  mechanic,  the  store  of  the 
merchant,  and  the  ofl|#-i>f  tba  profeMlonal  man,  it  may  truly  b«  osUed  the  missionary 
tr&otof  ttegMdOMuer  _»____«_-«____«__. 

W.  &  Ttaoa,  PriHinr  sad  Stsnetyper,  M  BMknHa  Stn«tb  K.  T. 


RKS. 


«■! 


yti«ri<  *  and 
nericath 

this  popular 
eavor  to  sup- 
ects,  and  thli 
of  llvlug  Wlt- 


SAL. 

k,  which  abouf 
of  Boolety,  who 
ler  Btateraent*. 
•uth,  and  much 
ig  out  of  print, 
iQce  thta  repuD- 


IBOOU 


fflN," 


Me 


,6y 


Ubiihop. 

It  l9  well  printed 

lAnd  It  U  well  to 

3atholica  having 

lost  unanaw«tft- 

I  copy.  . 

9re  exciting  and 


[AC, 
1S56. 


loopy. 

I  published  to  dl^ 

log  Us  l*8»onB  of 

"  the  store  of  the 

L  the  missionary 


